Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held its 21st Conference of the Parties, COP 21, in Paris from 30 November to 12 December 2015. Ireland was represented in Paris by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and other relevant Ministers and Ministers of State also attended. The major outcome of COP 21 was the agreement by over 180 countries to restrict the impact of emissions on global warming and to limit the temperature rise to 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an ambition of 1.5° Celsius. This will be done through a range of climate action plans known as nationally determined contributions which will tackle 95% of the world’s emissions.

The 22nd Conference of the Parties, COP 22, took place in Marrakesh from 7 to 18 November 2016 and marked the entry into force of the Paris Agreement. The conference, as with all conferences of the parties, included a high level segment with appropriate attendance by relevant Ministers. In this regard, I received an invitation from the Moroccan hosts and along with a delegation representing Ireland's key Departments and agencies involved in climate change, I attended the second week of COP 22 and reaffirmed Ireland's commitment to combat climate change during the high level segment.

COP 22 represented a further expression of the global ambition to tackle climate change, with the focus shifting to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Consensus was reached on the establishment of a rules-based system which will turn the Paris Agreement into a fully operational agreement by 2018. Global agreement was also reached on a number of significant financial issues at COP 22, including increasing the predictability of climate finance and the publication of the roadmap to the 2020 global commitment to provide $100 billion of climate finance funding annually. Agreement was also reached on the major funding mechanisms of the Paris Agreement and on the significance of adaptation finance.

Ireland ratified the Paris Agreement on 4 November and will contribute to its goals through the nationally determined commitment submitted by the European Union and its member states, which targets an overall EU reduction of at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.

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