Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 155: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to use the overseas aid budget to pay for Ireland's climate debt to poor countries; if he supports the position that 100% of the funds promised to support climate adaptation in developing countries, as part of the current UN climate negotiations, should be additional to official development assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32647/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The agreement we hope to reach at Copenhagen will commit governments to both mitigating future climate change and adapting to the climate change already in the system. Even if we reduce global emissions along an ambitious trajectory, we will still experience climate change impacts, which will have far reaching consequences for millions of people. In making the enormous transitions required all over the planet, we have to ensure the most vulnerable are protected and their needs addressed.

Globally this means ensuring that those poorer regions of the world, that contributed least to the problem but are most at risk from climate change, are provided with real financial help to adapt to climate change. This will require new and additional financial flows from developed to developing countries.

At this point in the international negotiations on climate change, it would be premature to seek to come to a conclusion on any particular element of the Bali Action Plan. The financial resources that will be required to underpin a new global agreement is one of the fundamental pillars of the Action Plan. The reference in paragraph 1(e)(i) to 'new and additional resources' is part of that pillar and will be a key consideration in the finalising agreement on a global financial package. My priority will be focused on ensuring that the decision on the overall financial package, including the new and additional resources are required, is ambitious and fair, and adequate to support an effective global response to climate change.