Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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45. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the Government’s plans with regard to supporting a loss-and-damage finance facility at COP27; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55198/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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This year’s catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa and devastating flooding in Pakistan remind us of the urgency of addressing climate impacts. The issue of loss and damage is a key priority for Ireland’s work on climate change. Ireland is keen to see the scaling up of finance for loss and damage in ways that meet the challenges facing communities in countries most vulnerable to climate change. We are contributing to this scaling up as evidenced by our recently launched International Climate Finance Roadmap which charts the path towards more than doubling our international climate finance to provide €225 million by 2025. Ireland also pledged €5 million to the Santiago Network at COP26 which is being established to provide technical assistance to support developing countries experiencing climate related loss and damage.

At COP27, Ireland will support measures which further operationalise the network in accordance with the process set out in Glasgow. I welcome the launch of the Glasgow Dialogue, to improve the current landscape of funding for activities to avert, minimise and address losses and damages by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps of this ecosystem. Ireland recognises that the increasing number and severity of climate impacts, means we must act in advance of disasters to protect people in the most exposed communities and, in that context, supports an agenda item at COP27 on finance for loss and damage, to enable Parties to discuss the best way forward to scale up support for vulnerable countries.