John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I would hope so. I believe the usher has them.

In the international negotiations, questions have been raised recently about the EU's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, suggesting that the EU is somehow trying to walk away from it. I want to assure the House that nothing could be further from reality. The EU has always been and remains firmly committed to the Kyoto Protocol, its structure and its objectives.

To be clear on the issue, the EU preference for the post-2012 commitment period is a single legally binding instrument under the convention and would enhance implementation and ensure consistency in the application of the post-2012 international climate regime. In other words, a new protocol that builds on the Kyoto Protocol and incorporates its fundamental structure, particularly its provisions on key issues such as legally binding quantified emission reduction commitments for all developed countries, robust reporting, monitoring and compliance requirements, flexible mechanisms and requirements on land use, land use change and forestry. In summary, the EU objective is to broaden the scope and effectiveness of the international response to climate change in the post-2012 period without compromising on the principles or structure of the Kyoto Protocol.

A clear case for broadening the scope and effectiveness of the international climate change regime is the need to address ecosystem emissions. While attention to date has focused on fossil fuel emissions, greenhouse gases from ecosystems, including agriculture, natural forests, plantations and wetlands, are a major contribution to the problem. In addition, the potential for these ecosystems to absorb carbon is an essential element of an integrated response to climate change. The Kyoto Protocol addresses some of these carbon emissions and sinks, but not all of them.

The worst potential consequences of a policy framework that addresses fossil fuels but mostly does not address ecosystem emissions are increased pressure on these natural ecosystems. We have seen an example of how this would work in the destruction of peatland rain forests to facilitate the production of palm oil. We must ensure that the new agreement does not create any such perverse incentives. The scope of the successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol must cover all aspects of ecosystem emissions, including all forests and soil carbon associated with forest management, cropland and grazing land management, wetlands and deforestation. In seeking to influence an ambitious new global agreement, the EU has already provided a clear signal on a mid-term goal. It has adopted a 20% greenhouse gas emission reduction target by 2020 compared with 1990 and has committed to step up to a 30% target subject to two conditions, namely, that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable reductions and that developing countries contribute adequately according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities.

However, this level of global action by 2020 might not be enough. Since publication of the intergovernmental panel's fourth assessment report in 2007, scientific studies have suggested quite consistently that the warming process is happening more rapidly than anticipated and that the emission reductions proposed in the 2007 report may be insufficient. A consensus is emerging among leading climate scientists that we may need to not just reduce our emissions, but have net reductions in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. They suggest a target level of 350 parts per million while current concentrations are over 380. The next report from the intergovernmental panel is due in 2014 and a priority in the negotiations is to ensure that a new global agreement includes a review of targets and objectives by the end of 2016.

Turning to climate finance, the new treaty on climate change will not happen unless it includes a comprehensive financial package to assist developing countries in key areas such as capacity building, mitigation, adaptation, technology and protection of their forests. Based on figures developed by the European Commission, the EU has strengthened the focus on finance in the international negotiations by setting out estimates of short-term and long-term needs. The cost of mitigation and adaptation action in developing countries could amount to approximately €100 billion per annum by 2020. The international public support element of that could be between €22 billion and €50 billion per annum.

While that is the longer-term position, beginning in 2013, there is a more immediate need for fast-start international public support for developing countries. The Commission estimates that such support could cost between €5 billion and €7 billion per annum over the three-year period between 2010 and 2013. The EU is committed to paying its fair share at international level. Ireland is committed to paying its fair share of the EU contribution. I wish to make it clear that I see the international climate change agenda and the millennium development goals as parallel priorities. They are not competing priorities - any suggestion to that effect is entirely unacceptable.

See this speech in context