Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the climate change talks recently concluded in Poland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51924/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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nister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Mr. P. Hogan) The 19^th Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Warsaw from 11 to 22 November, in conjunction with the 9^th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol; the 39^th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies on Implementation and Scientific and Technical Advice, and the third part of the second session of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP).

In addition to work focussed on further implementation of previous COP decisions and agreements, the Warsaw COP centred on making progress towards a new global agreement, to be concluded in COP 21 in Paris in December 2015. To this end, a key focus of the EU position going into these negotiations was to agree a clear process of work and analysis, including key milestones, for 2014 and 2015. This process is necessary to ensure that all Parties begin their domestic preparations in order to be in a position to bring meaningful emission reduction commitments to the table far enough in advance of the Paris COP to allow for peer review and discussion in terms of both their proposed ambition and fairness. Clarity on this process was achieved, along with agreement on specific actions to increase pre-2020 mitigation ambition – a vital element of the work under the ADP.

Other key outcomes included important steps towards the operationalisation of the Green Climate Fund; agreement on a mechanism to address Loss and Damage; and agreement of the REDD Rulebook – a package of measures to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. While a decision on a work programme for agriculture was deferred until the next negotiating session in June 2014 , there was useful dialogue and sharing of views on agriculture, land use and forestry through workshops and a high-level event, in which Ireland was an active contributor.

Overall, while in some areas of the negotiations it proved challenging to secure consensus across all 194 participating countries, there was a positive outcome for this COP – it is one further step on the road to 2015 and must be seen in that context. Ireland will continue to work within the EU and with our international partners to secure an ambitious and effective global agreement in Paris.