Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if Ireland, as a founding member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance with Costa Rica and Denmark, will ensure that the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is supported and that an agreement is reached regarding loss and damage payments for the global south as a priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56507/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is an international climate policy proposal for a new treaty to manage a global just transition away from coal, oil and gas, considered as a vehicle to complement the Paris Agreement, modelled on campaigns for nuclear disarmament. Ireland recognises that a reliance on fossil fuels is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and a low-carbon future, and supports mobilising action to break our global dependence on fossil fuels.

Through our membership of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, Ireland has ceased issuing new licences for oil and gas exploration and has divested investment away from fossil fuel companies through the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act 2018. In addition, Ireland continues to work on mainstreaming climate action across all development aid and seeks to promote ambitious climate action in our engagement with Multilateral Development Banks.

This year’s catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa and devastating flooding in Pakistan remind us of the urgency of addressing climate impacts. Loss and damage needs are urgent and vast and I support calls for the scaling up of finance in ways that meet the needs and challenges of most vulnerable communities facing climate change. Ireland is 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 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. This year Ireland committed €10 million to the Global Shield against Climate Risks which will pool together activities in the field of climate risk insurance and prevention to help low-income and vulnerable countries. Loss and damage is a key priority for Ireland and we stand ready for progressing action at COP27.