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

The conclusions from the last European Council meeting restated Europe's unambiguous approach that it is essential to keep the 1.5°C global warming limit within reach. I take this opportunity to congratulate An Taoiseach on his speech to the Conference of the Parties in Glasgow yesterday. It was an eloquent statement of Ireland's and Europe's commitment. The praise An Taoiseach's speech received, both here in Ireland and internationally, was well deserved.

The European Council highlighted the importance of climate financing for developing countries to help them respond to the challenge of climate change. We absolutely need to hit that $100 billion target. We committed to $100 billion and we must reach it because trust is so low from developing countries that rich countries are really prepared to stand by their promises. We must rebuild that trust. The Taoiseach's announcement that we will more than double Ireland's contribution to climate financing, to reach €225 million by 2025, is very welcome in that regard. We have a good reputation when it comes to financing and aid compared with other countries. It is a profound statement of our own identity as a country, especially in this decade of centenaries, that we help countries that are least responsible for climate change but which, unfortunately, will have to deal with its worst effects.

We are not only in a climate emergency; we are also in a biodiversity emergency. The European Council took note of the preparations for the COP15 meeting on biodiversity in Kunming in China. This is particularly relevant given the upcoming Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan for Ireland. Yesterday, I chaired a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment and Climate Action where we heard from farmers and advisers who are working on programmes to enhance the capacity of their farms to support wildlife and biodiversity. Projects like the biodiversity regeneration in a dairying environment, BRIDE, project in Cork and the Burren programme in Clare are showing how farmers can take the lead on biodiversity because they are the people who best know the habitats on their land. They told us that the current systems in Ireland do not reward farmers enough for increasing biodiversity on their farms. They also said that Ireland is a European leader in the design of results-based environmental schemes and we have the know-how to make a big difference on biodiversity.

On 15 December, the eastern partnership summit will take place with the now five post-Soviet states to the east of the EU. I am deeply concerned about the situation with political prisoners in Belarus. I am aware Belarus was suspended from the eastern partnership in June, but I was gratified to see strong language from the European Council calling for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus. Of course, we in Ireland have our own special link with the opposition in Belarus and we must not forget the plight of people there as democratic rights are continually eroded.

I want to address the energy crisis, which was discussed at European Council. European countries have been encouraged to use short-term measures to alleviate the effect of rising gas prices across Europe on households. It frustrates me that we are actually using short-term measures to do this but those measures are being opposed. I am talking about the carbon tax, where we specifically targeted increased social welfare payments on the cohorts most at risk of energy poverty. Yet in the media and in this Chamber, I hear the carbon tax increase being condemned by the Opposition. Let me be clear: households on lower incomes are better off because of the carbon tax increase. Those parties calling for the carbon tax increase to be reversed are in effect calling for energy poverty to be increased.

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