Climate change “supercharged” Storm Éowyn and means such extreme weather events are likely to happen “more often”, Friends of the Earth has warned. 

Nearly a week after one of the most severe storms in decades, ESB estimates there are still over 100,000 homes without an electricity connection. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Friends of the Earth CEO Oisín Coghlan said the severity is humans pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

“Burning fossil fuels is causing climate change, which is supercharging our intense weather and weather extremes as we see climate breakdown accelerating,” he said. 

A tree in Glasnevin, Dublin. Photograph: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

Yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was confronted by a woman in Roscommon whose home had been without power for several days. 

She suggested the State should buy every home in the west two solar panels, a wind turbine and a battery to allow them to “come off the grid”. 

It is a sentiment that Mr Coghlan agrees with. 

“If you add to [to your home], solar PVs, batteries and electric cars, you can actually have a power source in your house that can charge your essential stuff while you’re waiting for the grid to be re-established,” he said. 

A man installing rooftop solar panels. Picture by: Radharc Images / Alamy

Businessman Declan Ganley disagreed and instead urged the Government to “immediately repeal” carbon taxes on fossil fuels they use to heat their homes. 

“These are the only things that are working right now in the hard hit parts of Ireland that still six-days on, going to seven-days shortly, do not have power,” he said. 

“This is how we’re working our generators, our chainsaws; the stuff that we’re using to cut ourselves out of this mess.” 

A fallen tree leans dangerously across the Rosscommon Road near Athlone is being held up by power lines due to storm Eowyn. Credit: Athlone Photography/Alamy Live News. 24th January 2025

Mr Glanley said green policies have “failed” and are far too costly. 

“They’re making us pay to cut ourselves of a mess that they have played a major part in making,” he said. 

“They’re not responsible for the weather but they are responsible for the policies that put people in a much tougher position than they needed to be.” 

Yesterday on The Hard Shoulder, Housing Minister James Browne said that  climate change means that extreme weather events like Storm Éowyn will “undoubtedly” happen again.

Main image: A fallen tree in Belfast on Friday. Picture by: Alamy.com.