Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 25, inclusive, together.

I participated in the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, on Friday, 11 February. Around 20 international leaders attended in person for Friday's high-level segment hosted by President Macron. This event was held in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of the UN and in co-operation with the World Bank and other public, private and civil society partners. It feeds into a sequence of major international events on the oceans and seas in the first half of 2022, including a meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly, the second phase of the COP15 UN biodiversity conference and a UN conference to support the implementation of sustainable development Goal 14, which is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

My contribution to the One Ocean Summit was on the theme of "an ocean of solutions to climate change". I took the opportunity to highlight the following: the vast potential of Ireland's renewable energy resources, including for export, and associated commitments in our climate action plan and programme for government; the new licensing and regulatory regime being established by the Maritime Area Planning Act, including establishment of the maritime area regulatory authority; and the launch this year of Ireland's new state-of-the-art marine research vessel, RV Tom Crean, which will make an important contribution to the Horizon Europe mission to restore our ocean, seas and waters by 2030.

The oceans comprise the largest component of the Earth's system that stabilises climate and supports life and human well-being. Given that our maritime area is seven times the size of our landmass, it also has particular significance for Ireland. I was happy to lend my firm support for this excellent initiative from President Macron to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues. I pay tribute to President Macron for the enormous individual effort that he put into this conference, staying there for the entirety of it and contributing very significantly to it.

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