Imagine a St. Patrick's Day in the future where instead of donning a green shirt in celebration of the day, you had to rifle around in your closet for something brown instead. Sadly, a new report released by the Irish American Climate Project called "Changing Shades of Green" says that could very well be reality as climate change rears its ugly head and threatens a country renowned for its lush green scenery. 

"The lush greens could turn to brown and the soft rains that people talk about as a blessing -- 'May the rains fall soft upon your field' -- those soft rains could turn harsh," said Kevin Sweeney, an environmental consultant who directs the climate project. "It really is changing the look and feel of Ireland," Sweeney said in a telephone interview.

Among the significant potential changes to Ireland's are summer droughts that threaten potato crops, the country's main food staple, dried grass turning the landscape shades of brown instead of their typical green and less rain during summer months, which would pose problems for inland salmon and sea trout fisheries. Despite the possible changes on the horizon, Sweeney points out that life won't cease to exist in the country - it will just change dramatically.

"This is not Africa, where ... the rain may dry up and millions of people might have to move," Sweeney said. "People can raise their children, they can make a living, they can find sustenance in Ireland, but it will look and feel and be different. And that's the subtlety we want to explain here. We don't want to project that this is catastrophe. What it is, is it's heartbreaking."

» Reuters Environment