Results 1-20 of 1,063,248 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Máiría Cahill OR speaker:Michael D'Arcy OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Alan Farrell) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Brian Leddin: The purpose of this morning's meeting is to have a discussion in advance of COP29. Before the recess the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, attended at this committee to give his outlook ahead of this very important conference of the parties in Azerbaijan. On behalf of the committee I welcome Ms Siobhan Curran, head of policy and advocacy, Trócaire; and Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick, policy and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: I thank the committee for the invitation to speak today. As an international aid and development organisation, we see the impact that climate change is having around the world. It is a profoundly unequal process. Many of the world’s poorest communities are facing increasingly extreme climate disasters despite having minimal responsibility for causing the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: Friends of the Earth are probably better placed to comment on this than we are. Our call is for Ireland to endorse the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. There is no treaty text that yet exists, as far as I understand. We are calling for political endorsement of the idea to develop such a treaty. That is a pretty low-bar risk, rather than securing the State's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Ms Siobhan Curran: I would like to add to this. This is something civil society will really focus on at this COP. The debates often get stuck on technocratic arguments. It is very important that we call out that at present the EU's position is that it does not agree to the subgoals of the NCQG. This could seem insignificant but it undermines accountability. The biggest problem with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: I might comment briefly on the kind of obstacles mentioned regarding the quantum and the fact the EU and Ireland have avoided even mentioning any kind of number at this stage. Many developing nations and NGOs are advocating for at least €1 trillion in public climate finance. One of the major problems with the goal of €100 billion was that there was no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is Trócaire Ireland looking for a levy on corporations as part of the new forms of financing and that there is a tax on the fossil fuel industry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Ms Siobhan Curran: The UN tax convention is a significant process. It is not something we are following in detail. We see it as part of the picture of the question of how the finance flows and whether we will shift from flows into fossil fuels from tax going out of developing companies when we need to invest in them. It holds huge potential. There is also an international discussion...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Ms Siobhan Curran: The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act was a milestone at the time and an incredible achievement. In hindsight, it needs to be updated and expanded, in particular to include harmful agribusiness. There are two elements to this. Public finance goes through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which the State needs to ensure is not flowing to fossil fuels or harmful...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Ms Siobhan Curran: If we can come out of this COP with a new figure of a floor for a climate finance goal, if we can agree the subgoals and if there can be commitment by developed states to meet their obligations and mobilise new sources of public finance for this, that is the outcome that is needed, and that can be built on. It is quite concerning, however. As Mr. Fitzpatrick said, there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ireland could sign up. We would only be signing up in principle at this point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: I would like to comment briefly on the guardrails relating to tied aid and conditionality being placed on climate finance. It is a massive issue. The single biggest guardrail, as Ms Curran already touched on, is ensuring that in the COP decision text and in the decision text relating to the NCQG, we have very strong language indicating that public finance which is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This COP is primarily focused on finance as opposed to mitigation. Is there scope for progress on the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance at the COP? Will Ireland's credibility be somewhat undermined because we went in with very strong fossil fuel divestment legislation? It is interesting that the fact this may need to be strengthened was mentioned. There is a discussion now about the fact that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Ms Siobhan Curran: The fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty is based on the pillars. This definitely contravenes the first pillar of non-proliferation, so I completely agree with the Senator. Anything committee members can do in discussions with the Minister to ensure that these issues are highlighted at COP would be welcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: COP29: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not a subjective view, although the term “fast-tracking” perhaps is. Let us be clear that applications for liquefied natural gas infrastructure would previously have had to go through a local authority and then An Bord Pleanála, whereas they can now go directly to An Bord Pleanála. That is a shorter planning application process than was previously the case....