Published on 

Minister Creed attends COP 24 in Katowice, Poland

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., is in Poland as part of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In particular, the Minister and his Department officials will participate in “Act!on Agriculture” events which aims to explore how governments, agriculture businesses and others are pushing the frontier of agriculture evolution. “Act!on Agriculture” is a series of events to share knowledge of best practice in agriculture production.

The Minister outlined, “Agriculture is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry. We are therefore rightly situated to talk of our experiences in such a global forum as this in terms of how we are endeavoring to balance agriculture’s food and environmental credentials.”

The Minister will also participate in an EU high-level event entitled “The possible role of agriculture in long term decarbonisation seen from different perspectives” this evening.

The Minister stated: “I look forward to working constructively with European colleagues in developing a vision for a climate smart agriculture that meets our future need for food while limiting its impact on climate.”

Minister Creed said: “A significant decision on agriculture was reached at COP 23 recognising the role of agriculture in tackling climate change and achieving the Paris Climate Agreement, including improved soil carbon, soil health, soil fertility and improves livestock systems.”

This decision (known as the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture) is a major step to help create an enabling environment for countries and non-state actors to conduct activities in the agricultural sectors that are key to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The first discussions on content are happening as part of COP24 and it is important for Ireland to support this work.

While Irish agricultural production is recognised by independent analysis as having one of the lowest carbon-footprints internationally, in recent years there has seen an increase in overall emissions. Reducing emissions is challenging and it is a challenge the sector must engage with.

The Minister stated: “While we already have an efficient and productive agricultural system, there is no room for complacency – we must and can continue to make improvements in terms of sustainability and environmental performance on all our farms.”​

Notes for editors
COP 24
COP24 is the informal name for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992. The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal membership. The countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention. Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme body of the UNFCCC Convention. It consists of the representatives of the Parties to the Convention. It holds its sessions every year. The COP takes decisions which are necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention and regularly reviews the implementation of these provisions.

In accordance with a decision of the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention (COP22) in Marrakesh in November 2016, the successive climate summit will be held in Poland. Poland was selected to host this event within the framework of the Eastern European Group (EEG).

Poland will hold the Presidency of the Climate Convention for the third time.

COP24 will take place from 2-14 December 2018, in Katowice, Poland.

Act!on Agriculture Event
Over three days during COP24, Act!on Agriculture will explore how governments, agriculture businesses and others are pushing the frontier of agriculture transformation. It will highlight specific opportunities, proven best practices, and realistic possibilities for increasing agricultural productivity, mitigating agricultural emissions, and strengthening agricultural resilience in cost-effective ways. It will bring these to life through real-world examples from both developed and developing countries.

Ultimately, the aim is to catalyse action on sustainable agriculture to achieve the ‘triple win’ – increased agricultural productivity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthened resilience to climate change impacts. These outcomes are critical to improving food security for the world’s vulnerable communities, producing more food for a growing world population, and achieving the Paris Agreement’s adaptation and mitigation goals.