Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the COP27 summit. [57372/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the COP27 climate change conference. [57447/22]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the COP27 Climate Change Conference. [57450/22]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the COP27 Climate Change Conference. [57479/22]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the COP27 conference. [57546/22]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the COP27 Climate Change Conference. [57933/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together.

I participated in the world leaders summit at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh on 7 and 8 November. On 8 November, I delivered Ireland's national statement to the plenary session, taking the opportunity to set out Ireland's climate ambition and the Government's commitment to supporting vulnerable countries which, despite having contributed least to climate change, are bearing the brunt of its impact. While the situation is very serious, I was clear that it is not too late to act and that it is realistic for our legacy to be a sustainable planet.

I engaged in a number of high-level events and round-table discussions, including on food security and on the sustainability of vulnerable communities. I joined the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at a high-level event on “The Global Shield Against Climate Risks”, where I announced that Ireland will contribute €10 million to the initiative for 2023.

I also availed of my visit to COP to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Vanuatu and had the opportunity to engage with a number of fellow world leaders over the course of the two days. I heard first-hand from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and others of the devastation caused to their countries by the devastating impacts of climate change.

While at COP27, I also met with the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, a number of Irish youth climate advocates, representatives of humanitarian NGOs, and international delegates supported by Irish Aid. I also met with a number of academics and students from UCC and UCD, second level students, and with a representative of the EPA.

In my engagements, I highlighted Ireland's ambition to see progress on the issue of loss and damage and on the implementation of commitments to take action to mitigate climate change, and to deliver upon climate finance promises. Ireland has committed to more than double our climate finance provision to at least €225 million a year by 2025.

I welcome the historic agreement reached at COP27 to establish a special loss and damage fund to pay for climate-related damage suffered by vulnerable nations. This will mean that millions of people whose land, water sources and livelihoods are being eroded every day because of the impacts of climate change, can begin to look forward to targeted and strengthened support and protection from the global community. While the overall agreement does not go far enough on the issue of mitigation, the commitment of the conference to keep “1.5 alive” is important and welcome. The European Union will continue to work to keep the ambition of the Paris Agreement within reach.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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The climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis are intrinsically linked. The Taoiseach is well aware that we have a biodiversity crisis. Some 60% of our birds are on an endangered list. The condition of many of our marine and land habitats is worsening. Our record of upholding EU biodiversity and climate law has not been good and certainly needs to improve. The Citizens’ Assembly voted overwhelmingly, with 87% in favour, to insert protecting biodiversity into our Constitution. I want to get the Taoiseach’s thoughts about a referendum on giving biodiversity and habitats that constitutional protection.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Egyptian authorities arrested 1,540 Egyptian people in the weeks just before COP to prevent them organising protests. Thousands of people have been imprisoned and detained. Even when they get judicial orders for their release, they disappear. Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been imprisoned for five years for “spreading fake news”, by which it is meant that he utters words critical of the El-Sisi regime. Did the Taoiseach even raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities, never mind question whether it was appropriate to go to a conference held in a country whose regime is so brutal that it crushes even the mildest voices of criticism of the El-Sisi regime?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The Taoiseach said we are keeping 1.5 alive, but there is no evidence of that. The world is on a trajectory of perhaps 3.5°C warming, if not worse. There is no greater illustration of the failure of COP27 and the failure of this capitalist system to address the climate crisis than the absence of a commitment even to phase out fossil fuels. The failure to recognise that and include it in the text speaks to the power of the fossil fuel lobbyists, 636 of whom were present at COP27, and the commitment of governments to protect the interests of big oil and gas. We have the same text as came from COP26 - efforts towards the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Now we have reference to an increase in low emission and renewable energy, which could mean anything, such as nuclear power, coal with carbon capture and storage, or fossil gas. Here, the Government plans to keep Moneypoint open, fuelled by oil and ramped up because of all the electricity required for the data centres.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Today, a young man from UCD Ronan Browne is taking the drastic action of a hunger and thirst strike to force some action on climate change. I support that young man. The behaviour of the Irish State has not inspired the young generation who are extremely worried about the future. There is a glaring contradiction between what the Taoiseach says and what he does. I previously asked him about the stance Ireland took on the directive on corporate sustainability and due diligence. The Taoiseach reported that he campaigned for it, but that he needed to strike a balance. I asked him if those directives would require finance companies to be as responsible as the rest of us are meant to be over the climate. This morning I got a letter back from the Taoiseach in which he said that he wanted to strike an objective balance but did not say what that balance is.

Does that mean that finance companies have the right to make profits over and above the enforcement of corporate sustainability in the climate? Could the Taoiseach please clarify?

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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The issue of a commitment to a rapid transition from fossil fuels was sorely lacking in the COP27 text. What is the position of the Taoiseach and the Government on Ireland's continued membership of the Energy Charter Treaty, ECT? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, has clearly flagged that the ECT is a barrier to climate action and that it is being used by the fossil fuel industry to delay decarbonisation and to leave the public with the bill for their stranded assets. The ECT secretariat is actively seeking oil and gas-rich countries in the global south to join. Therefore, the continued membership of Ireland is legitimising this predatory behaviour. A number of EU countries, including most recently Germany, have indicated their intention to leave. Will Ireland do the same?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Many have spoken about the difficulties surrounding COP27 and about what the people have not signed up for. We want to make whatever moves we can away from fossil fuels. District heating can be one of those solutions. I once again bring up the issue of communal heating systems that are now being powered by gas. A feasibility study has already started around geothermal in respect of Carlinn Hall, Dundalk. None of this will work in this shift, however, unless we have a grant scheme in place to facilitate this communities, for example in the areas of geothermal or woodchip. Beyond that, we will need mitigations. I thought the temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS, could have been a means by which we facilitated those residents who are under severe pressure. That is an opportunity that has been missed. We need a bespoke solution to get people through this winter. Thereafter, we can help them to switch to a better system and we can get that all-round improvement.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan raised the issue of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. It is my understanding that it made a recommendation for a referendum. I have not yet received a full report but I look forward to receiving the report from the citizens’ assembly. We will give consideration and examination to all the recommendations.

In the first instance, my main focus is on actions now to dramatically improve our performance in biodiversity. Already, the Government has radically changed the landscape, excuse the pun, for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, enabling an agency within the Government to be established, with its own internal board to direct the affairs of the agency. We are also doubling the funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and increasing its resources even more to enable it to work across Departments and across the country in respect of the restoration of biodiversity and preservation of biodiversity. Also, we will require more resources to be allocated to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to deal with the huge issue of the forthcoming European Union directive in respect of the restoration of biodiversity, both urban and rural, between now and 2050 with interval years. This will be extremely challenging and it has not really received much attention in the House or across the board. We have put together Departments now to develop a negotiating position on that. In other words, I think we need to keep the balance between a focus on immediate actions and on resourcing the practical operational needs right now, because we are coming from behind. We are coming from a service that was across different Departments for too long. For approximately over a decade it was residing in different Departments. We want to give a permanency and security to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and increased budgets that will make a difference in relation to biodiversity. Again, we will have to look at the full implementations of any recommendations for a referendum. What exactly will it mean? What will the proposed wording look like? We will have to examine all of that.

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of human rights in Egypt. Concerns about human rights is a real issue and we have raised it on a continuous basis with Egypt, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums. We have raised issues including freedom of expression, space for civil society, digital freedom and treatment of human rights defenders.

At the UN Human Rights Council in March 2021, Ireland co-signed a statement expressing concern about human rights in Egypt, including its use of terrorism legislation to detain human rights defenders and civil society activists. The protection of human rights defenders forms a key part of Ireland’s foreign policy. I understand Alaa Abd el-Fattah has paused his hunger strike and that his family was allowed to visit him on 17 November. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, has raised this issue and other human rights issues in his discussion with the foreign minister, Mr. Shoukry, when they met recently at COP27. No one should be detained for exercising their basic human rights or for defending the rights of others. We consistently raise that.

On the issue of going to COP27, on one level it was important that it was held in east Africa, because Africa is a continent that at times feels excluded from the debate. It is particularly important in terms of the loss and damage fund and climate finance. That is an issue that is important to Africa in particular. All of the COPs cannot be held in Europe or in the US all of the time. They must be hosted in locations that may not suit everybody at any given time. That is the reality. That is a challenge but it is important that world leaders meet on this issue on an annual basis. That is my view, because if they do not then momentum could slip. Ireland is not responsible for the entire world and we have to look after our own affairs first. We have a democracy here but we cannot change the entire world on our own. It is by being members of multilateral fora that we can help to shape the world to a better place. Ireland does that well through its aid programmes and through its foreign policy more generally.

Deputy Paul Murphy raised the issue that the capitalist system, as he described it, has failed. He does not see any evidence of keeping the 1.5 alive. There are many countries with whom we do not see eye to eye on their policies. The big oil producers such as Russia, the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the OPEC countries obviously want to retain as much oil and gas as they can. That is why we must develop alternatives as quickly as we can, such as more wind energy, more offshore wind energy, solar power and other alternative sources of energy. That is the big challenge that is facing us. The European Union has probably made the most advances in relation to these areas and others. Those big challenges will come but it is not the role of Europe, or indeed of Ireland, as the Deputy suggests, to look after big oil and gas. That is not the case.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I did not say that it was.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are now reducing for example our dependency on Russian oil and gas, because of the invasion of Ukraine-----

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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We look after the data centres and big agriculture.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----which is a significant reduction.

In terms of Deputy Bríd Smith’s points, I do not think that people should go on hunger and thirst strike. It is very damaging to them. Advocacy and raising issues is the preferable way to go in respect of the climate issue. As I said, we endeavour to shape all directives that come before the European Union in order that good legislation emerges from Europe. We are participants in that debate. It is not a question of passive acceptance of anything that comes through the Commission. By definition, it has to be engaged with and we are supportive of that directive. Striking a balance means just that-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Sorry, I asked the Taoiseach about Ireland’s stance. He said that he is happy to strike a balance-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, we support-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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-----but he has not illustrated what that balance amounts to.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the letter I sent to Deputy Bríd Smith, and she did not quote all of it,-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It does not say.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----it does say that we support the directive.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It says that the Government supports a balance.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Finance.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We support the directive.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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It says they support it through finance.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Yes, finance. They are balancing the needs of finance and the needs of the planet. How do they balance that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not a stark as the Deputy has put it. That is not what we are talking about.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke raised the issue of the Energy Charter Treaty. Again, we will keep that under review but he should be in no doubt as to our mission, which is to end our dependency on fossil fuels and to develop alternatives through wind energy, solar and other mechanisms. That is clear in our strategies. In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, that is our position. I put it to both Deputies that their position on how to deal with the price increases would have been to give a blank cheque to the fossil fuel companies. It would probably have been very damaging to the economy if we had implemented their proposal of the energy cap, which the energy companies would have benefited from. We need a bespoke approach on district heating. I will come back to the Deputy on that and I have said it to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan.