Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party)
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I thank the witnesses. I very much appreciate their expertise. I sometimes feel I am on an episode of “Ireland’s Fittest Family”, dragging people through the mud to the finish line in the context of climate change. The witnesses are quite right that the science relating to it is immutable. It is undeniable, yet still we do have a sense of denial here and around the globe. The point in regard to Covid is well made. Even during that time, however, we had a lack of sharing of vaccines globally. When I was at a pre-COP meeting, I likened the position on climate finance to the approach taken by governments around the world, including in the EU, to vaccines for the very poorest nations. There is significant work to be done.

When it comes to publicity on climate catastrophe, I do not think anybody has got it quite right. I do not know what the witnesses’ thoughts are, but we are coming into another COP. Nobody had a clue what it was about at the previous COP. For this COP, we are also having to explain to people. Focusing on loss and damage is probably a good way to go about it, because it is one thing that can be addressed. Ireland must get behind it. However, it is very disappointing to hear that countries from the global south have an asterisk indicating that their work can only be done if the funding is delivered. Trust has gone, yet people still keep coming back to the table. Those are my thoughts.

Globally, we must get better about delivering this science to people. That is partly our job, but it is also the job of everybody sitting around the table. What do the witnesses think needs to be done in order for people to get behind it, because I do not think we have all the answers. We would like to bring everybody with us.