National Statement by the Taoiseach COP30 Belém Thursday, 6 November 2025

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Excellencies,

As we meet here in Belém, at the edge of the Amazon, we find ourselves in a place that is both a wonder of nature and a reminder of what is at stake.

The Amazon is much more than a forest — it is a living symbol of the magnificence of this planet, but also of its fragility and the dangers we pose to the world and to ourselves.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a daily reality and we are all feeling its consequences.

In the 12 months since COP29 in Azerbaijan, Ireland experienced Storm Éowyn, which brought the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in my country and the highest storm surges on our western seaboard.

We had the warmest spring and summer on record and an unprecedented marine heatwave.

Only last week, Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm ever to make landfall there, has devastated parts of Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and other nations of the Caribbean.

We know that the effects are not felt equally.

The poorest and most vulnerable nations, and the poorest people within all nations — those who did least to cause this crisis — are often those who suffer first and suffer most.

We all must recognise that each of our futures is connected. All nations – large and small, rich and poor, will reap what we collectively sow in these crucial years.

I recall when the world gathered in Glasgow for COP 26. The mood then was optimistic, as we emerged from the pandemic.

There was a large global turnout and a palpable sense of joint purpose to tackle the shared challenge of climate change.

I am concerned that the spirit of common purpose is weakening.

Our attention is being drawn to other threats and crises that can seem more pressing.

Geopolitical turbulence. Economic pressure. Conflict and dislocation. All have been presented as reasons to ease or delay action.

But increasingly, the challenges we face arise because of climate change, and this will worsen with time.

At a time when political leadership has never been more vital, there are fewer of us here in Belém, fewer Leaders ready to tell it as it is.

Climate change is unarguable. The science is undeniable. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking.

If we are not prepared to tell our citizens the truth about this, we are failing them, and this planet, in the most profound way.

Science cannot be denied.

The European Union, of which Ireland is a part, remains steadfast in its determination to play its full part.

We have now set our sights on reducing our collective emissions by 90% by 2040. This will undoubtedly be challenging but it is necessary to drive the investment, innovation and invention that a transition to a fully decarbonised economy will require.

Ireland will continue to be part of that effort.

Change is underway across our economy and society to steer Ireland towards a decarbonised future, powered by renewable energy.

We are seeing the fruits of our efforts.

Ireland’s emissions have been falling for the last three years, and we now have lower overall emissions than at any point since 1990, despite our population growing by 50% over that period.

We are making real progress, but we know that we have to go further.

A particular focus of my Government is to find ways of doing what we need to do more quickly.

Meeting our climate targets and decarbonising our society requires a transformation in energy, agriculture, transport, industry and buildings.

The public interest lies in us being able to deliver the changes we need to build a truly sustainable society quickly.

We are therefore looking at how to re-balance, our decision-making processes to make sure that public interest is given the right weight.

The people of Ireland are no strangers to shifting weather patterns and more intense storms which expose our vulnerabilities.

So, we are investing in adaptation: in resilient infrastructure; in flood relief schemes and coastal defences; in early-warning systems; in nature-based solutions and in sustainable agriculture and industrial practices.

Ireland recognises that adequate and accessible climate finance is the key to achieving decarbonisation and climate resilience globally.

We are keen to scale up and improve access to climate finance to tackle loss and damage facing vulnerable countries.

The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, to which Ireland contributes, will be important in this context.

I am also very happy to announce that Ireland will host a new UNDP Project Office in Dublin, dedicated to advancing sustainable finance — mobilising the capital that will power a fair, inclusive, and global green transition.

The world is at a decisive moment in how we act on climate change. We have made some progress, but we now need to act with unity and with much more urgency.

There is an old Irish saying “Ní neart go cur le dchéile", there is no strength without unity.

The world can and must come together and its Leaders must lead. It is the only way to secure the future that this and future generations deserve.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Thank you.