Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

On the issue of climate change, I had a very good discussion recently with a leading expert in foreign policy from the UK who specialises on the effect of climate change on the developing world. At the European Council meeting this week, Javier Solana will table a fairly major document, if my memory serves me correctly, entitled Climate Change and International Security. It deals with how the effect of climate change is impacting on the whole issue of security, migration and tribes moving from one location to another. It is having an even greater impact than was originally thought. The Americans have done much research in this respect already. Part of the remit of Irish Aid, which we purposely included in the White Paper, which was the review of Irish Aid, was to look at how Irish Aid could, as well as the historic three main issues, assist in countries in the development of their health system, their education system and their capacity to govern and have a proper organised democratic state. I have asked — the Minister of State, Deputy Micheál Kitt, is insistent — that the whole effect of climate change and how we can assist countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa to deal with climate change and what new technologies could be put in place be reviewed. This was prompted by a conversation I had a couple of years ago with former president Clinton who, in the context of the very significant link he has with the Clinton Foundation and Irish Aid, suggested that one of the key priorities of our aid programme should be about how to deal with climate change in the context of how to use new technologies from renewable energy and to assist in these developing countries.

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