Taoiseach says Ireland will push for tangible measures to ease climate impacts for vulnerable countries

Ireland will be pushing at the UN climate talks for delivery on “tangible measures” to accelerate emission reductions and scale up climate finance for vulnerable countries, especially those already suffering a warming world, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.

Speaking to the media at Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, Mr Martin warned that time was running out to take action on climate change and that the delivery of pledges needs to be accelerated by wealthy countries.

Ireland had stepped up it climate targets but, as with many other countries, it was now down to implementation, he said in advance of a two-day climate summit being attended by 120 global leaders.

“We need to focus more on delivery measures to realise those targets. We all have work to do. Ireland has work to do. We achieved a lot with onshore wind. We need to ensure we can accelerate offshore,” Mr Martin said.

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In its case, accelerating delivery of offshore wind targets would be a key tangible that would make a huge difference in delivering what has been promised, he said. The Government had a roadmap on delivering climate actions but this would be added to because in a global context; “we understand this is vital for countries right now”.

Ireland had already committed to doubling its climate finance commitments to €225 million a year “not just for vulnerable countries but also those already suffering losses because of climate events”, he added.

He confirmed Ireland would be announcing specific funding on Tuesday for loss and damage – which has already emerged as the key issue at the two-week negotiations. This would come under the €225 million allocation “but demonstrates Ireland’s commitment under loss and damage”, he said.

This will be at an event hosted with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, under the “Global Shield Against Climate Risks” initiative aimed at scaling up finance needed to protect against climate risks in poor countries, which is supported by G7 countries and the V20 group of vulnerable countries.

On controversy over “compensation” and “liability” being excluded from the agenda, Mr Martin said he preferred to adopt a practical approach and concentrate on “tangibles” that would translate into securing funding for developing countries. “The language is moving in the right direction,” he insisted.

Developing countries needed other countries to deliver on their promises and Ireland would do so, Mr Martin underlined.

The Taoiseach, who is due to deliver Ireland’s national address to Cop27 on Tuesday afternoon, said he believed the new “over-riding public interest clause” under EU law would facilitate scaling up Irish offshore wind – and help ensure the country plays its part in “slowing down climate change and reducing temperatures”.

This was why the Government had commissioned a fundamental review of planning for both offshore and housing. Reforms under a new Act would be announced in coming weeks, he confirmed.

Ireland had an abundance of offshore wind while there was “a lot of people impatient about pace”, he said, but the Government was committed to making it happen as quickly as possible.

Asked about current “turmoil” in An Bord Pleanála, he accepted the need to reform the organisation and to provide more resources on environment and climate including specialist staff. Changes to planning legislation on a new environmental court would complement these changes.

There was real evidence people were changing their behaviours in relation to climate action. There has been a massive increase in applications for retrofitting grants in Ireland, in active travel and adoption of EVs, he said.