Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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109. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to outline Ireland's position on the establishment of a loss and damage fund at COP-28, including whether the Government is pushing for it to be widely available to all countries in the Global South impacted by climate change, for contributions to be the responsibility of countries of the Global North with historical responsibility for the climate crisis; if he will advocate that market-based mechanisms, such as GlobalShield, will not be included as loss and damage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41126/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Loss and Damage is a core priority for Ireland’s work on climate change, where Ireland has taken an active role in both the negotiations and in the Transitional Committee, established to set up the fund.

Ireland recognises that many vulnerable countries are acutely at risk to the impacts of climate change and that often it is the countries that have contributed least to global emissions that are bearing the brunt of these impacts. In line with our broader position on climate finance, Ireland seeks to prioritise particularly vulnerable countries, in the development of funding arrangements for Loss and Damage. Often these countries and communities struggle to access finance from other climate funds. Ireland advocates for the fund to be designed in a manner which enables the most vulnerable countries to access finance when it is needed.

Sources of funding for loss and damage is also a key issue for Ireland. The existing financial mechanisms are falling short of what is needed to address loss and damage. These existing mechanisms should be built on and strengthened, not only by leveraging finance to increase finance flows, but also by bringing different organisations together to ensure that there is coherence across the spectrum of loss and damage response.

The scale of finance is a big gap in the current loss and damage landscape and all possible avenues for finance need to be explored, including by inviting contributions from new donors, and encouraging contributions from the private sector and philanthropic donors. Opportunities within the reform of the multilateral development banks to increase climate finance, in a manner that supports people and communities in the most vulnerable developing countries, should also be explored.

Ireland also recognises the urgency of action on loss and damage and believes that a solution must be designed that will be operational as soon as possible, recognising the urgent need to scale up support to those who have not contributed to global emissions, but are bearing the brunt of climate change impacts.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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110. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he supports Ireland becoming part of the group of the states advocating for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty; if he will outline Ireland's policy on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41127/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Our reliance on fossil fuels is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and a low-carbon future. Ireland supports measures that reinforce and advance our transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels.

We are taking action both domestically and internationally to tackle our reliance on fossil fuels. Following the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act 2018, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (under the National Treasury Management Agency) divested from fossil fuel companies and holds a list of companies in which it will not invest. Ireland has also ended the issuing of new exploration licences for fossil fuels and will manage existing authorisations towards a natural conclusion, through expiration, relinquishment, or production.

International collaboration is key to achieving the widespread, transformative change needed to tackle climate change. At COP26, Ireland joined the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance as a core member because of our determination to shift the global relationship with nature from a place of extraction to rehabilitation.

This commitment was demonstrated further at COP27 when Ireland joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance to create a global driving force for the uptake of offshore wind through political mobilisation and the creation of a global community of practice. At this year’s COP28 Ireland will continue to advocate for the move away from fossil fuels.