Results 1-20 of 1,068,692 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Barry Cowen OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne) in 'Committee meetings'

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

Brian Leddin: I thank Mr. Fitzpatrick for his opening statement. I will go to members now to ask questions. Would Deputy Murphy like to go first?

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

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: I can add briefly to that. It will be very difficult this year to achieve any progress on fossil fuel phase-out in addition to what we saw last year and that is primarily due to the fact that as this has been billed the finance COP, all of the negotiations and political attention will be on the NCQG. Having said that, it is worth pointing out that the single biggest...

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

Ms Siobhan Curran: We completely agree. We have seen how globally, multilateral spaces are under such pressure at the moment and COP is no different. It is so important that we get ambitious decision text at COP but we need other tools. We fully support Ireland endorsing the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. Ireland played a role before in respect of the treaty to ban cluster...

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: With regard to the new collective quantified goal, Ireland will have a key role in negotiating and representing the EU position in the discussions. To be clear, among the key obstacles in the EU's position is the unwillingness to declare a goal, although it is called the new collective quantified goal. Subgoals were mentioned. Is it correct there will be subgoals on loss and damage? The...

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

Brian Leddin: Sorry, Senator, but I want to give Deputy O'Rourke a chance to comment. The Senator has had a lot of time.

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

Ms Siobhan Curran: That is one option we think should be progressed. There is a whole host of options, such as a levy on profits of corporations, as well as aviation levies and shipping levies. There is a whole host of potential policy options here and some can progress domestically while others are part of EU and international discussions. It is important to advocate at COP for these...

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

Brian Leddin: Okay. I will go back to Senator Higgins as we will have time.

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

Darren O'Rourke: The divestment Bill was mentioned, along with the many opportunities for perverse incentives, workarounds or money to go to exactly the wrong place. It is a huge area and there are a range of strands. I presume the objective needs to be to move as quickly as possible in order to close off those avenues and hold companies to account to ensure the flows of money are properly accounted for and...

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

Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick: One crucial thing in terms of the outcome of this COP is that we have a clear distinction between the financial obligations of developed countries under Article 9 and the broader issue of Article 2.1(c), which Senator Higgins has raised. There has been an ongoing and deliberate attempt for the past three years during the NCQG discussions to blur these two issues....

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is really useful because we hear about the many issues developing countries have in accessing climate finance and, in a wider sense, accessing finance from private sources. Those are all issues, even in terms of the credit rating issues, and there are a lot of other things that come in, that can be addressed through the debate on Article 2.1, which is basically improving the way our...

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

Ms Siobhan Curran: I can take some of those. Working back, that discussion around minerals and transition minerals and the potential human rights environmental impact is really crucial. The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre does quite a lot of research on this. It has been documenting the number of attacks on communities who are basically protecting their land from mineral...

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

Ms Siobhan Curran: Exactly, it is a zero draft. Ireland is not a fossil fuel producing country. It is definitely in our interests to keep fossil fuels in the ground. We know the statistics. The UNEP report shows that the plans to 2030 will bring us to more planned fossil fuel exploitation than what is needed to keep within 1.5%. It will be at 110% of that figure, which is completely...

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

Ms Siobhan Curran: Senator Higgins has reminded me of the motion on fossil fuels passed in the Oireachtas last December following the COP. I forget the title of it but it included a commitment to the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and to expanding or reviewing the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act. There is precedent for this being discussed in the House. There is a coherence issue. If a...

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is still a concern about liquefied natural gas infrastructure, so it seems there is a need for a very strong signal in the other direction, possibly at COP or elsewhere. This sends a signal that seems to be contradictory to someone who is looking at it as an anti-fossil fuel proliferation activist internationally and who may also campaigning locally against fracked gas in their area,...

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

Brian Leddin: I would say to Senator Higgins that the framing of the fast-tracking of fracking or liquefied natural gas infrastructure is strongly disputed. The Senator's view is her own. It is unfair to ask the witness to confirm her subjective view.