Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan; I believe I have time. I echo the sentiments that have been expressed in the House this afternoon in respect of Poland. I share the grave concerns that have been expressed by Members across the House with respect to what is happening with the European Court of Justice regarding climate, about which I intend to speak about today.

Poland is seeking to cancel elements of the European Union's Fit for 55 package, namely, those parts that relate to carbon markets being set up for transport and buildings. This was a hard-fought agreement; it is not the time to revisit it. We are in an urgent climate crisis and the package needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

The external affairs agenda item for this week's Council of Europe meeting will undoubtedly feature the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow. As Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Climate Action, I led the Irish delegation to a meeting of the interparliamentary pre-COP26 meeting in Rome the weekend before last, at which my colleagues made very strong contributions.

It was notable that delegates from the developing world who approached us afterwards were keen to discuss themes we raised that had not actually been broached by other nations. Of particular interest was the issue of trust between our developed societies, that is, those with greatest responsibility for climate change and those which have least responsibility but are bearing its worst effects.

Ireland must work within EU structures to restore trust with developing countries on the issue of climate. We are rightly concerned about the very hard work we must do at home in Ireland in the area of climate and, in particular, the difficult tasks ahead of us in the areas of agriculture, transport, retrofitting homes and renewable energy. That task is nothing compared to that in countries where millions will die from hunger due to climate change, however, or countries that will face large-scale flooding or, in the case of small island nations, being wiped off the face of the earth completely.

In Rome, I heard from parliamentarians from developing countries that commitments made to those countries more than ten years ago in Copenhagen have not been met. It is totally understandable that there is an issue of trust and we should seek to rebuild that trust. We need to act to show that we are indeed trustworthy and that we can keep our promises.

Another point made by members of our delegation was that Ireland as a country is leading with respect to ambition in reducing carbon emissions. We were able to say that we, as a small nation, have made an ironclad commitment to reducing emissions by more than 50% within a decade. The aggregate of small nations will have a greater positive impact on the climate agenda than any one superpower. We should know that and understand Ireland’s influence internationally. Ireland can lead in the EU and the EU can lead in the world. We are important, even though we are a small country. We are important because we are a small country.

I pay tribute to the three party leaders in Government but in particular, to the leadership provided by the Taoiseach on the international stage, particularly at the United nations in New York. He has been showing leadership on climate on the global stage and I urge that we continue to do so through the European Council. The future of Ireland, the EU and, indeed, the planet depends on urgent global action in climate.

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