Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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62. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide information on the measurable progress Ireland has made on the list of actions Ireland agreed to in the Paris Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55090/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Climate change remains a trans-boundary challenge that can only be addressed through committed ambition and effective multilateral cooperation at the international level. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held its 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris in 2015. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding multilateral agreement adopted by 196 countries with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 2 degrees and to strive towards 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Ireland is a strong supporter of the Paris Agreement as the multilateral mechanism to drive global climate action and is committed to addressing the climate crisis by engaging in negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement through its membership of the European Union (EU) .

Ireland is contributing to the achievement of the Paris goals, which include limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and to helping developing and vulnerable countries mitigate the impacts of climate change. We continue to play an active and constructive role in issues linked to our climate priorities with the intention of illustrating the coherency between our international climate agenda and our domestic climate ambition. Ireland is now regarded as a leader rather than laggard by our international climate peers, based on the strength of our national effort to deal with the climate challenge.

In the Programme for Government and the Climate Act 2021, Ireland has committed to halving our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050 at the latest. The Climate Action Plan is how we do it. The plan underpins Ireland’s commitment to achieving a climate neutral economy no later than 2050 and provides for a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.