From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Communications Eamon Ryan travels to COP28 in Dubai today (Friday 1 December) where he will work alongside global leaders and other parties to accelerate the fight against the climate crisis.
Ireland looks forward to a comprehensive and balanced outcome from COP28. Minister Ryan welcomed the agreement on loss and damage on the first day of the global climate conference and said that Ireland would make its pledge to the fund to support the most vulnerable countries in the world shortly.
This early agreement on one of the key issues progressed since last year’s COP also allows the Conference to move on to other pressing issues such as broader climate finance, adaptation, delivering greater mitigation ambition and a mechanism to include the polluter pays principle so that fossil fuel sectors can contribute their fair share to climate finance and to increasing accessibility to renewable energy, particularly in developing countries.
Minister Ryan and Irish officials were central to negotiations which saw agreement that there would be a loss and damage fund at last year’s COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheik. Since then, Ireland has shared a seat with Germany on the transitionary committee that was tasked with progressing the fund.
Ireland is also focused on the outcome of the first Global Stocktake (GST) process as the main focus for COP28. The Global Stocktake will see countries review progress made towards the 2015 Paris Agreement goals, including efforts to keep global heating to 1.5°C. Indications are that the world is not where it needs to be and that emissions are on course to increase to 2030 not decrease. This, Minister Ryan said, means that the global coalition has to take action at a scale and speed not seen before.
Minister Ryan welcomed the historic agreement by parties on loss and damage. He said:
"I am very proud of what the Irish Government has done to help deliver agreement on loss and damage. It is testament to the diplomacy and skill of our public servants, who shared a seat with Germany on the transitionary committee tasked with progressing this issue since last year. It means we can secure real delivery of funds to support and protect the most vulnerable countries and states.
"However, we need to deliver much more this year given the urgency and evidence of dramatic climate change. The fact that the Global Stocktake will show that the world is way off track on its emissions targets puts greater onus on leaders to deliver a broad, ambitious and innovative response in Dubai."
Minister Ryan wants to see a plan to ensure that fossil fuel industries take greater responsibility for climate financing and investment in the shift to renewables.
He said:
"We have to see meaningful investment in clean energy in the developing and emerging countries, in particular Africa. At the moment, fossil fuel companies are only investing 1-2% percent of their supernormal profits into clean energy, and most of this is going to Europe, the United States and China. Fossil fuel companies will have to pay their fair share.
"There are more solar panels in the Netherlands than the entirety of Africa, which has 60% of the world’s solar radiation. This is not fair. This has to change, and not just for climate reasons. If we invest in Africa, we are immediately supporting countries most affected by climate and least responsible for its causes. We can support development in countries where some of the worlds’ most intractable conflicts are taking place. Finally, this shift to energy equity can help manage forced climate migration — one of the greatest challenges we face."
Minister Ryan also suggests that the world’s financial architecture will have put in place systems and structures needed to facilitate the move to a global green energy revolution, like reducing currency risks, ensuring regulation and transparency, and ensuring there is the capacity and skills available in developing countries to build the infrastructure and grids needed.
He concluded:
"This switch to renewables is already happening. This year, for the first time, there will be more invested in renewables than fossil fuel development. Now we have to go further. This can be a win-win, good for the developing world, good for climate and good for business because it provides a better alternative way of investing in the future."
COP28, which runs from 30 November to 12 December, is the most important global gathering to discuss the climate crisis — the most pressing issue of our time. Ireland strongly believes in tackling global challenges and has been actively pushing for stronger climate action through a number of avenues.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It brings together the 198 Parties — 197 nations plus the European Union — that have signed on the Framework Convention to agree actions to tackle the climate crisis.
Since 1995, with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic, COPs have been hosted annually for countries to gather to review progress compared with the latest climate science, and set new commitments on both preventing and adapting to the climate crisis. COP Summits see leaders from all over the world come together to find solutions to a crisis that affects us all.
Ireland will send a strong delegation to COP28 in line with our view of the importance of the Summit. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will all attend across the two weeks of the Summit.
Ireland will advocate for a comprehensive and balanced outcome from COP28. We want to see progress on the key issues: loss and damage and a broader base for climate finance, greater ambition for mitigation and adaptation, and a strong signal that the world will begin to phase out fossil fuels.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ireland’s emissions reduced by nearly 2% in 2022. Since taking office in 2020, this government has prioritised climate and has carried out a series of measures that are helping to bring our emissions down, with the aim of reducing them further year on year.
Loss and damage relates to the negative effects of climate change that occur despite mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Climate-induced loss and damage is a key priority area for Ireland’s work on climate change, recognising that vulnerable countries that have contributed the least to climate change are suffering the most from its impact.
Climate finance refers to financing that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions in response to climate change.
Ireland recognises that without adequate climate finance, it will not be possible to tackle the climate crisis.
Climate mitigation refers to measures aimed at reducing the impact of climate change.
A consistent priority of the EU is the need for all countries, particularly large emitting economies, to scale up climate ambition and targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Adaptation refers to taking action to adapt to the present and future impacts of climate change.
Many countries across the world are already feeling severe impacts of climate change. Developing countries require scaled-up, targeted support to strengthen their resilience against climate impacts.
Ireland is deeply concerned about the impact of climate change on peace and stability. We believe that tackling climate change can reduce the potential for instability and build peace.