The Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD today (7.12.11) stressed the urgent need for a global response to Climate Change in his address to COP17/CMP7, United Nations Climate Change Conference 2011 in Durban, South Africa.
During his address he said, "The WHO has declared climate change to be the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century. The time has now arrived for us to address the difficult outstanding political issues, not least in relation to:
· The legal form of a future international agreement,
· The timeframe for agreement and a roadmap to get us there, and
· The need to increase the level of ambition on mitigation action to respond to the 2 degree Celsius objective."
"We must also strive for agreement on a common international accounting system so we can truly keep track of what everyone is doing.
"Global food security remains a key issue in Ireland’s engagement with this and other global multi-lateral processes. Our historical experience of famine has left an indelible mark on our national psyche and has ensured that our overseas development assistance program has a particular focus on hunger. Recognising the right to food as a key fundamental human right, we are acutely aware that climate change is already impacting on global agricultural systems."
"Whether you look at analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNEP or the IPCC, the message is consistent and clear regarding the inextricably linked challenges of climate change, agriculture and food security. Building the scientific and technical knowledge base in the agricultural sector is essential and a work programme must be developed that fully addresses both adaptation and mitigation aspects."
"Delivering on our commitments on fast start finance is also a key element of our international obligations. Ireland’s contribution to the EU pledge of €7.2 billion was a commitment to provide up to €100 million over the three years 2010 to 2012. To date, Ireland has delivered €66 million which is being used to support activities in a number of countries that are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, particularly in Africa. I have arranged a further contribution of €10 million in Fast Start Finance this year. From this, €8 million will be provided to the EU Global Climate Change Alliance, and €2 million will be provided to the Least Developed Countries Fund under the guidance of the UNFCCC."
"For our part in the global mitigation effort, Ireland is on course to meet its Kyoto commitment. Together with our fellow Member States of the EU, we are pursuing an ambitious mitigation agenda in the period to 2020. And, nationally, the Government is prioritising the climate policy agenda to ensure that we realise our 2020 climate ambitions and position ourselves on a pathway to a low carbon economy in the longer term."`
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, brings together representatives of the world's governments, international organisations and civil society. The discussions seek to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.