The Taoiseach has said climate change is "the single greatest challenge the world faces", as he is set to lead the Irish delegation at the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt.
Micheál Martin is leading a 'high-power delegation' to the Cop27 climate summit, which opened today in Egypt - accompanied by Climate Minister Eamon Ryan, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.
The EU is calling on all those attending to take urgent action to bring down emissions.
Mr Martin will attend "high-level events and roundtables", including on food security and on the sustainability of vulnerable communities.
He will join the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for a working breakfast on ‘The Global Shield Against Climate Risks’, a new initiative sponsored by the G7 and the V20 group of vulnerable countries aimed at scaling up the finance needed to protect against climate risks in poor countries.
National statement
On Tuesday afternoon, he will deliver Ireland’s National Statement, setting out Ireland’s climate ambition, and the Government’s "commitment to supporting vulnerable countries who, despite having contributed least to climate change, are bearing the brunt of its impact".
He will also have a number of bilateral meetings with fellow leaders in the margins of Cop27.
Speaking ahead of the summit, the Taoiseach said: “Climate change is the single greatest challenge the world faces. Its effects are already being felt in more extreme weather events, and its consequences are fuelling conflict, global instability, competition for resources and abject human misery in some of the world’s poorest countries.
“Political leaders meeting at Cop27 have a special responsibility to urgently drive the transformation needed to secure the sustainable future of our planet and its people.
“It is very clear that some of the countries that contributed least to climate change are bearing the worst brunt of its impacts. Many of these vulnerable countries lack the resources they need to deal with the challenges they face. I expect that climate finance will be a prominent issue in our discussions at the Summit, and I hope that developed countries will step up, ensuring that commitments entered into at previous meetings are delivered.”
