Eamon Ryan will lead the EU’s negotiations on so-called “climate finance” as Cop28 in Dubai heads into its crunch stages for countries to strike deals on environmental action.
The UN’s annual climate change summit will hope for similar outcomes to last year in Egypt, when countries came to agreement on “loss and damage” at the last minute.
“Loss and damage” refers to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to, while “climate finance” refers to major nations paying a fairer share towards climate change bolstering in smaller nations.
The spectre of phasing out fossil fuels remains as Cop28 enters the final few days of negotiations, with little indication as yet that wording on the future of oil and gas can be agreed by various countries and negotiating blocs.
Ireland’s Environment Minister said that his negotiating position is that climate should be at the centre of all financial and economic decisions, and that this will necessitate a plan to phase out fossil fuels.
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The difference between “phasing down” and “phasing out” has been the source of contention for governments across the world, with the likes of former president Mary Robinson and environmental activists calling for their complete elimination in order to have any shot of keeping global warming to 1.5C as outlined in the Paris Agreement of 2015.
Mr Ryan said that there has to be a strong alternative to fossil fuels and that it has to be easier for countries, and particularly developing countries, to shift to new, clean renewable energy systems.
Some $4.3trn will need to be invested annually in clean energy by 2030 if 1.5C is to remain viable, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
More than 60 environmental and civic groups in Ireland have called for a new global treaty on fossil fuels.
A joint statement from the likes The Wheel, Trócaire, Concern, Friends of the Earth, Social Justice Ireland, and the Stop Climate Chaos coalition have backed independent TD Thomas Pringle’s motion in the Dáil next week calling to support a global fossil fuel treaty.
Head of policy and advocacy at Trócaire and chair of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, Siobhan Curran, said Ireland can demonstrate its solidarity and support for small island states. Many such states are asking for Ireland’s support in calling for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Ms Curran said in Dubai.
“The call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is now supported by a bloc of 11 Pacific, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian countries, as well as the World Health Organisation, the European Parliament and close to 100 cities and sub-national governments around the world. There is clearly a growing momentum behind the treaty,” she said.
