The typical Atlantic storm will be a much more powerful affair, with stronger winds and the potential for much heavier rain, leading to flooding.

Sea levels will rise due to thermal expansion and melting glacial ice. This will put areas such as the Shannon estuary and other low lying coastal districts at increased risk of flooding.

More powerful storms and floods will mean higher insurance costs to protect homes and property. Premiums will have to rise.

The soft "boulder clays" typical of the eastern seaboard will be even more subject to coastal erosion due to higher storm surges and rising sea levels, and this will push salt marsh and wetlands further inland.

Heavier winter rains will mean much greater potential for flooding both inland along river courses and along coasts where the water won't be able to drain away fast enough to prevent periodic damage.

Prime properties along rivers and at the seaside, so sought after today, may become unsellable if threatened by flooding and the breakdown of dunes and coastal protections.

Less rain in the summer will lead to drought conditions and a drop in the quality of surface water, the source of drinking water for the great majority of people here.

Changes to local hydrology could cause problems with building foundations. Clay soils which shrink as they dry could, for example, cause foundations to crack.

Warmer air means an influx of new varieties of biting insects such as mosquitoes. We might also see the arrival of new varieties of rodents and ground insects such as ants and termites.