Time to deliver on the ulimate leadership challenge Taoiseach

Oxfam Ireland Press Release
17 December 2009

Climate campaigners call on Taoiseach to make Ireland’s voice heard in climate negotiations

Climate campaigners from Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam Ireland and Trócaire today called upon Brian Cowen to make Ireland’s voice heard at the global climate negotiations taking place in Copenhagen this week. The Taoiseach is due to arrive in Copenhagen on Thursday evening and spend Friday at the negotiations.

Irish climate campaigners have been critical of Ireland’s engagement with the climate talks throughout 2009 in the run up to Copenhagen with little apparent input from Ireland into the negotiation and little public comment from the Taoiseach on the talks.

‘While Ireland has been beset by our economic difficulties this year, the most important talks since the second world war have been approaching. We’ve heard little from the Taoiseach or the government on the climate negotiations all year but we cannot be silent any longer. This is the ultimate leadership challenge. If these talks fail, then we are looking at global catastrophic climate change. There is no second chance with the climate.’ said Colin Roche, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator with Oxfam Ireland

The Irish campaign groups are calling on the Taoiseach in particular to clarify that the €100m over three years (€33m per annum) pledged last week as ‘fast start’ climate financing to support poor countries deal with climate change will not be taken from Ireland’s overseas aid. More importantly poor countries need at least $200 billion by 2020 in long term finance to deal with the impacts of climate change and to pursue low carbon development.

‘A clear contribution that Ireland can make to these talks is to clarify that none of the governments finance contributions will be taken from the overseas aid. One thing lacking in Copenhagen this week has been trust between rich and poor countries. Trust won’t be built if countries like Ireland play games with the numbers or take money from schools and hospitals to pay for our climate debt. The Taoiseach should make clear we will pay our way for a climate deal and not pay for it from our aid budget’ said Niamh Garvey, Policy Officer with Trócaire

After a week and a half of discussions so far in Copenhagen, little progress has been made on the major issues – reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and support for poor countries to pursue low carbon development and adapt to climate change. Poor countries have fought hard to ensure that the Kyoto Protocol, which puts the onus on rich countries to deal with the problem they have created, is preserved while countries such as the United States take on obligations to cut carbon emissions. Brian Cowen will join over 110 other world leaders including Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Copenhagen for the last day of the negotiations.

‘With just two days to go, a political impetus is desperately needed. World leaders, including Brian Cowen now have to provide it. It’s time for them to rescue the talks’ concluded Molly Walsh, Policy Officer with Friends of the Earth.

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Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.

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