Pairing my vote with Ryan was no COP out ..Ireland needs to be at the climate summit
POLITICIAN’S MOTIVATION BEHIND DAIL SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
IT’S not every week you see your name trending on social media. But that’s exactly what happened after I offered a voting pair to Eamon Ryan ahead of Tuesday’s confidence vote in Helen Mcentee, allowing the Environment Minister to remain at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
The reaction was mostly positive. People understood my motivation was sincere and that I just wanted to ensure Ireland had continued representation at this crucial conference.
Critical decisions are being made at COP28 that will have an impact on generations to come.
Given that the outset of the summit was marred by controversial climate-sceptic comments from its president, Sultan Al Jaber, it was imperative that Ireland’s voice at the conference was heard.
The notion of Mr Ryan having to fly back from Dubai – and then immediately return to the summit after the confidence motion – made absolutely no sense from a practical or environmental perspective.
After consulting with the Taoiseach and Tanaiste, Mr Ryan accepted my offer to stay in Dubai. That is not to say that the Social Democrats have confidence in the Justice Minister.
Garda numbers are at record lows and morale within the force is on the floor.
For two years, my colleague Gary Gannon has been raising concerns about safety, anti-social behaviour and other issues in Dublin. He has long called for a multi-agency crossdepartmental taskforce, headed by the Taoiseach, to co-ordinate efforts to tackle these problems.
Regrettably, his appeals for action have always fallen on deaf ears.
For that reason, the Social Democrats voted no confidence in the Justice Minister. My pairing arrangement with Mr Ryan did not have any impact on the outcome of the vote because, as neither of us voted, we simply cancelled each other out.
We are now midway through COP28. The remaining weeks must result in real commitments and clear actions to phase out the use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy.
The irrefutable case for moving away from fossil fuels has not been helped by some of the rhetoric we have heard at COP28.
My pairing arrangement... did not have any impact on... the vote
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS TD FOR WICKLOW AND CLIMATE & BIODIVERSITY SPOKESPERSON
Alow point was summit president Sultan Al Jabar making a mockery of definitive climate science by suggesting there is no evidence to show a phaseout of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global warming to 1.5C.
Given Mr Al-jabar is an oil executive from one of the largest oil producing countries in the world, the United Arab Emirates, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised at his selfserving remarks.
Despite this inauspicious start, there has been some positive progress. On day one, there was agreement reached by all 196 participating countries on a loss and damage fund for vulnerable nations most at risk from the catastrophic effects of global warming.
This is a vital first step towards achieving climate justice, even though there are questions about how it will work in practice and concerns around the lack of specific timelines. The impact of climate change is happening right now in real-time.
The need for climate adaptation measures cannot come soon enough for the households and businesses left devastated by recent floods in places like Cork and Newry. Globally, 2023 is set to be the hottest year on record. The Irish Government’s commitment at
COP28 must also stand up to scrutiny. For instance, the €225million climate finance pledge announced by the Tanaiste appears to be nothing more than a repeat of a previous commitment to provide this money over the course of a number of years.
We are all in favour of the concept of reuse and recycle – but not when it comes to spending on climate action.
Additional money must be committed by Ireland if we are to make real progress in addressing the climate disaster. Ireland is a small nation, yet we have a big voice and far-reaching connections around the globe
At COP28, the Irish Government must use that influence when it comes to climate action.
The impact of climate change is happening right now in real-time