Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations. The presentation from Ms Wathuti of Oxfam was harrowing. It is worrying that Ireland is among a handful of countries that are yet to submit its long-term strategy to the EU. This committee takes its work seriously but I sometimes wonder if we are a bit too genteel in our approach. Are we the ones who are not looking up, so to speak?

To go back to what Senator Boylan brought up about the Energy Charter Treaty, do the witnesses believe this committee is doing enough to raise awareness of this issue? Is the public even aware of it and potential it has to affect us? I find these meetings very beneficial to remind us why we are on this committee. Political speak at the moment is all around a safe pair of hands, steadying the ships, all that kind of stuff. Does the witness really believe that politicians in the northern hemisphere really have the liathróidí to actually do the work that has to be done? COP27 is coming up and here we are. We are worse than we ever were. As for loss and damage, it is absurd that poor countries affected by climate change are expected to be writing IOUs instead of submitting invoices to the developed world. I think that perspective is key there. As a committee, we should be perhaps a bit more vocal on that point. We should leave our party allegiances outside the door when we come in here to work as a committee.

For the information of Ms Wathuti, I am meeting the Kenyan ambassador tomorrow. I am sure I will be talking to him about the situation in Wajir and I thank her for what she has brought to my attention today. I knew about the situation in the Horn of Africa but when one reads about mothers not having enough milk to feed their children, livestock dropping dead, it really and truly is harrowing.