Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Deputy Daly's Topical Issue matter fits in quite well mine. He talked about a local issue, the appalling flooding that many of his constituents have had to face, which is an aspect of climate change. That is the issue I am raising in terms of the need for Ireland to lead European efforts to halt the melting of the Arctic ice cap as part of our Presidency of the European Council.

Many people smiled on hearing about the Topical Issue matter I intended to raise and thought it quite amusing. However, the single issue that trumps all our economic problems in importance is climate change. We ignore this issue at our peril. The melting of the Arctic ice cap is a glaring example of this.

According to Steve Connor, science editor of the London Independent, writing on 28 August last year, the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by sea ice fell to 4.1 million sq. km. in the summer of 2012, which was a record low and 70,000 sq. km. below the previous record set in September 2007. These figures were compiled by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado. On 16 September last, the Arctic Ocean ice pack collapsed to its lowest level in thousands of years.

Why does this matter and why should we care? First, if the melting of Arctic ice continues, the enormous amount of methane gas locked under the Arctic Ocean and in sub-Arctic regions such as Siberia will be released and, as methane gas is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO₂, we will be in danger of runaway, catastrophic, irreversible climate change. Second, the Arctic ice cap acts as a mirror, reflecting some of the sun's rays back into space, and if the Arctic cap is gone, then there will be no reflection and that will add to the heating up of our world. Third, an obvious knock-on effect is if the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, then sea levels could rise substantially and this would put our coastal communities, such as those referred to by Deputy Jim Daly, at even greater risk. Fourth, in Ireland last year ,we experienced significant flooding events and the signs are that happens because when temperatures are higher, more moisture gets into the atmosphere, which will lead to greater rainfall in our case and more flooding.

As we currently hold the EU Presidency, we could set a good example by reaffirming our national goals for dealing with climate change. We need to take action to further reduce our emissions of harmful greenhouse gases as quickly as possible through investing in renewable clean and green technology industries such as wind, wave and solar energy production. The same applies at EU level. If we do it right, we can become world leaders in terms of renewable resource technology and can become a shining example to the rest of Europe and the world that despite the economic storm which we have endured, we took the right decisions. A report commissioned by the German Ministry of the Environment in 2011 suggested that the EU should try to reduce CO₂emissions to 30% below the 1990 levels, and suggested that an additional 6 million jobs could be rolled out in Europe to deliver on this. I urge the Minister of State and her senior Minister to promote this agenda to the maximum extent while we hold the EU Presidency.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. As the Deputy said, this debate highlights the key role that Ireland can play during its Presidency in advancing action at EU level to address the global challenge of climate change. The melting of polar ice caps is only one of a large number of impacts arising from climate change but it can have far-reaching consequences in the context of rising sea levels and shifting weather patterns. We all need to take action urgently if we are to get back on a pathway to meet the internationally agreed goal of keeping the global temperature increase below 2° Celsius.

The findings in the United Nations environment programme's latest emissions gap report are stark. Greenhouse gas emissions levels are approximately 14% above where they need to be in 2020. Instead of declining, greenhouse gases are increasing more rapidly than in previous projections. Even if the most ambitious level of pledges and commitments now on the table were implemented by all countries, we would still fall well short of where we need to be by 2020.

Ireland is determined to drive the climate agenda forward during our Presidency by progressing a number of key initiatives at EU level, including the finalisation of new legislation in relation to reducing CO2 emissions from cars and vans, and holding political discussions and reaching conclusions on a new EU climate adaptation strategy. The EU cannot address this issue alone, however, as it emits only approximately 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions and it needs to encourage and lead other parties both in the developed world and among developing nations to take early and effective action.

This shows clearly the importance of the negotiations taking place under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC. The latest round of those negotiations, held in Doha last November and December, was difficult but, ultimately, successful. The Doha outcome advances work towards the 2015 global agreement that will tie all 195 parties to the UNFCCC, both developed and developing countries, to a single legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, a number of parties joined the EU in a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, which is welcome. However, all of the second commitment period parties together account for only approximately 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, it is critical we turn our focus to making progress on delivering the new agreement and on increasing our mitigation ambition in the pre-2020 period to keep the 2° Celsius goal within reach.

Doha was about building on the 2011 Durban agreement. We acknowledge substantial work is required during 2013 and 2014, and in our role as EU President, Ireland will have a pivotal role in advancing these negotiations and resolving outstanding issues over the next six months. It is our intention, therefore, to build on firm decisions and timeframes agreed in Doha by facilitating further work and engagement on key elements which will be discussed at the inter-sessional meetings of the UNFCCC in Bonn in April and June. It is also envisaged that Ministers will discuss a number of important climate issues at the informal Council of Environment Ministers to be held in Dublin in April. In preparation for our leadership role, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government held discussions with most of his counterpart environment and climate Ministers across the EU and also held extensive bilateral meetings with key countries during the Doha COP. We will build on these engagements during our EU Presidency to progress the international climate agenda. I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Ireland intends to use its Presidency to lead in this area.

Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. The problem for every person on the planet is we find it difficult to accept the disaster with which we are faced and while, intellectually, we can understand it, emotionally we probably have not taken it on board. This is a huge problem for all of us because it is difficult to get ourselves into the mode where we truly appreciate where we are. What we can do within the EU is only part of what needs to be done in the world. Can we demand of fellow member states particular outcomes in terms of climate change practice? There are increasing problems with CO2 emissions. Can we punish the countries with which we trade that do not take on board the need to change how we do things?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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We have to do everything we can. The Doha outcome streamlined the negotiating process, which is important. The Deputy asked about the possibility of raising this issue with our trading partners. There are opportunities for Ministers at various meetings abroad to raise such issues.

Much of this is about building political momentum. We have the means. The EU has significant goals in place and there are binding obligations on all member states. The Deputy will be aware work is ongoing on a climate change Bill, which is almost at the point where the heads of the Bill are ready for publication and discussion by the relevant committee. Sectoral adaptation plans will be prepared in a number of Departments in the context of the legislation that is being worked on. Within Ireland, we are working on our obligations and we are also working on engaging with our European partners. We also need to use our influence in the wider world because Europe only represents a small percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions. We have to work at local, European and international level but it is important that the Deputy raised the issue because it tends to come and go on the political agenda. It tends to get prominence from time to time and it is important to raise climate change on a regular basis.

President Obama referred to climate change in his speech yesterday at the inauguration of his second term as President of the United States. The United States is also a very large player. It is important that Deputy Dowds has raised the issue today.