Since the environment has been shaped by humans in order to create productive farmland for both crops and animals, the environment allows for the efficient production of food. The environment has less dramatic influences in modern times as people today depend less on creating their own foods. Most people buy food in the same manner that we do, at grocery stores or markets. On the other hand, many Irish people are farmers and their livelihoods depends on productive crop seasons. Ireland is also an island, which means that seafood is a prominent and popular source of food.
Historically, Ireland's isolation has provided both benefits and created problems. Two major issues were overpopulation and deforestation. Even more problematic for people has been crop failures. The 1845 potato famine is famously the most catastrophic environmental disaster in Irish history. Irish people ate a diet made of mostly potatoes and in the 1840s, the potato plants all caught a disease which killed all the plants. Due to Ireland's isolation, it was difficult for people to find other cheap sources of food and so many people were forced to either starve or leave. In modern times, people face less uncertainty about food because of modern trade and mass production. Shelter also doesn't pose great difficulties as most people live in houses like you and me. What does create difficulty is the changing climate which causes greater weather abnormalities and rising sea levels. In the last two weeks, Ireland became the second country in the world to announce a state of emergency in relation to climate change.
