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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, addressed the delegates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at an event hosted by Bord Bia yesterday evening (14 February). The IPCC is meeting in Dublin this week to discuss the scope of a Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems (”Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security”).

Welcoming the delegates to Dublin, Minister Creed noted the appropriateness of Ireland as the venue for their meeting. “As the discussion to produce this very important special report on climate change, agriculture and food security took place at the expert meeting held here in Dublin two years ago, it is appropriate that the scoping exercise happens here too.”

The opportunity to host the event has arisen in part due to the culture of cooperation that has been fostered by the Government in terms of the holistic approach to addressing climate change and engaging on key strategies like FoodWise 2025. This joined up approach has created the enabling environment in which key stakeholders including the EPA, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are working together to pursue a common vision.

“As Minister for Agriculture, I am very aware of the important role of the agriculture and land use sectors in the process of transitioning to a safe and sustainable, low-carbon future. The very real dual challenge of ensuring food security for all and preventing dangerous climate change has been acknowledged by global leaders in the Paris Agreement and within the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Noting the range of topics to be addressed by the Special Report is quite broad, Minister Creed emphasised the need for integration of the challenges: “The scope of the topics to be addressed is considerable but it is critical that they be assessed in tandem to ensure that climate change doesn’t threaten sustainable food production and in terms of maximising the likelihood of achieving the 2 degree target and pursuing 1.5 degrees as set out in the Paris Agreement.”

From an Irish perspective, given the high profile of agricultural emissions in our inventory, it is very important that the special report considers the synergies between adaptation and mitigation especially given the lower mitigation potential of agriculture.

Notes for Editor:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
· The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic Climate Change information. It does not conduct any research or monitoring.
· Internationally, thousands of scientists contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis. IPCC aims to reflect a range of views and expertise.
· The IPCC is an intergovernmental body with 195 countries as members, currently.
· The IPCC provides rigorous and balanced scientific information to decision makers. The work of the organisation is policy-relevant and policy-neutral, but not policy-prescriptive.
Press Release from IPCC regarding the event available here: http://ipcc.ch/news_and_events/pdf/press/170209_Dublin_MA_final.pdf