Irish delegation should reject inclusion of fossil fuel lobbyists at Cop29, Oireachtas committee hears

FILE - Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province, Nov. 10, 2023. File picture: AP/Ng Han Guan

The Irish delegation should reject the inclusion of fossil fuel lobbyists when the UN's climate change summit Cop29 takes place next week, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

The annual conference begins on Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Among many of the issues on the agenda, the Cop is aiming to limit global warming to 1.5C, emphasising the “urgent need for investment in climate action.” 

Furthermore, a new global climate finance plan, the New Collective Quantified Goal (Ncqg), is set to be agreed by representatives.

However, the presence of fossil fuel lobby groups at the conference means that the likelihood of text in the Ncqg relating to fossil fuel phase out is “low”, Irish aid agency Christian Aid told the Environment committee on Tuesday.

Ross Fitzpatrick of Christian Aid said: “I think the single biggest delegation at Cop28 after the UAE and the US was the fossil fuel lobby. And that's been the case for the last few Cops.

“I think it’s really important that Ireland should, at the very least reject the inclusion of lobbyists at this Cop and at future Cops, and lend our support to the need for increased ambition on fossil fuel phase out.” 

Siobhan Curran of Trócaire told the committee that short term politics is “taking precedence” over the climate action that is needed.

She noted that there was a need to “unlock the finance debate” when it comes to climate funding.

“We won't be able to move forward on our climate targets unless the finance is provided.” 

Mr Fitzpatrick added that wealthier developed countries like Ireland must “take the lead in providing the bulk of the finance under the new goal”.

He noted that there had been three years of discussions already on the Ncqg.

He said: “Ireland should not get drawn into this long, tedious debate about which countries should pay into this new goal. We have obligations, and we have to pay them, first and foremost.

"Rather than risk delaying the negotiations at Cop29, we urge Ireland and the EU to focus on meeting their own unfulfilled obligations and to lead by example.” 

Ireland’s “fair share” of the existing global target has been calculated at approximately €500m per year — something the committee heard was the “absolute floor.” Currently, Ireland is providing around €121m per year.

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A new report, published on Tuesday from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), found that 95% of Irish people believe climate change is happening — with 81% saying they are worried.

However, there are still 4% of people who the EPA say are ‘doubtful’ about climate change.

They partially support climate-related policies but strongly oppose bans or increased taxation on home or transport fuels and are most likely to have moderate levels of education, be male, over 45 years of age and employed.

One part of the report found that nearly three quarters of Cork residents believed that flooding connected to climate change will harm their local area — the highest ratio in the country.