Ms Sadhbh O'Neill:

I agree with the Deputy that the IPCC report, which was published yesterday, puts a renewed focus on the potential synergies between climate action and the other SDGs. The first thing to recall is that the SDGs, just like the Rio Declaration in 1992, represent a set of political commitments. SDGs can be used as a methodology or tool to track progress, as the Social Justice Ireland representatives have developed. Ultimately, SDGs are political commitments. They are an attempt to draw together a set of different political commitments that address fundamental, environmental and development challenges that were identified at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992. The convention incorporated the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. There is a sense in which these concepts are being used in a legal sense to define the responsibilities of countries, and to ensure that climate action is not pursued in a way that does not target inequality both between and within countries.

On the IPCC report, what is interesting about the report that was issued yesterday and signed off by governments, is that it directly identifies these synergies and does so much more clearly than many previous reports. For example, one of the illustrations, which I think is on page 26, includes enabling conditions for climate policy, conditions that constrain and the way that these link with SDGs. Enabling conditions incorporates inclusive governance, integration across sectors and timescale, equal systems stewardship and so on, and behavioural change. The constraining conditions would be poverty, inequality and injustice. It is recognised that we cannot successfully adopt the mitigation measures that are identified in all of the IPCC reports without addressing the fundamental inequalities that are both barriers to climate action but drive further inequality and climate change in themselves.

The IPCC report is interesting in the sense that it does specifically address trade offs with SDGs and the need to integrate SDGs into climate responses. The report, when compared with previous reports, more directly addresses the co-benefits of climate action in so far as the benefits to human health, and through active travel, diets and improved air quality. These are much more directly mentioned than I recall from previous reports, which is very welcome. Again, these have been signed off directly by governments.

To answer whether the SDGs are useful, yes because they represent a set of political commitments that include and embrace climate action, and a safe planet for all.