As we speak, the clock is ticking at a vitally important decision-making time for the existential crisis facing our planet - the climate catastrophe. Má fhanann cúrsaí mar atá, deir na Náisiúin Aontaithe gur téamh 3°C atá i ndán dúinn, a bheadh ina thubaiste aeráide.

We know that as we near the end of the hottest year on record, it is vital we see a strong agreement coming out of COP28. It is appalling to see that the conference is still running on as we speak due to the failure to reach an agreement, a failure that appears to have resulted from the sabotage of a stronger draft wording which has clearly been corrupted and scuttled by oil barons and petrostates. This is deeply concerning because we all know it is not enough merely to reduce our consumption of dirty fossil fuels. We must phase them out altogether. While events like COP are important, we need to be judged by our actions and not just our words.

As Dr. Cara Augustenborg points out in The Irish Times today, Ireland is relatively well placed to make the transition on climate compared with other countries. We are not reliant on oil or coal exports, and while no one would argue that the transition away from fossil fuels will be easy, nonetheless, relative to other countries, it should be easier for us. Yet, we have slipped again in the world rankings for climate protection by six places to 43rd out of 63 countries. It seems the Government is not yet up to the challenge. Despite the fine aspirations, we see missed targets and serious delays in meeting the necessary reductions. All of us are doing our best on this but oil, gas, and other big corporates continue to damage and destroy our environment. Their business models are fuelling weather disasters and poisoning our air, land and water. Society is bearing the brunt of increasingly erratic weather events. All of us are thinking of the community in Leitrim village hit by a tornado on Sunday, which is now picking up the pieces.

The challenge is urgent but, all too often, there is a perception that the onus of change and of picking up the pieces are left to individuals and local communities, with big businesses getting off scot-free. We need to hold companies to account. Not only do we need to meet our legally binding targets for the sake of the planet, but by doing so we are improving our lives and communities. We know we need to address the health implications of fossil fuels too. We have the highest asthma diagnosis rates in Europe and dirty air has been linked to premature deaths across our urban centres. So much of this is driven by fossil fuel consumption.

Will the Government support a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels? Will it oppose what it seems is a plan for the next COP to be held in another petrostate? Will the Government take the necessary action at home to meet our emissions reduction targets? Will it introduce the Labour Party's €9 per month climate ticket to help support a move away from fossil fuel transport? Will it further incentivise cycling and active travel infrastructure to give our climate targets meaning?

As I said in the House previously, climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity at present. We have to be the generation of politicians that turns the tide on climate change and biodiversity loss. We can do that in many ways, first, by reducing our emissions. Our greenhouse gas emissions are falling, although not fast enough. However, greenhouse gas emissions per capita have fallen considerably in Ireland in recent years. Second, we also need to scale up adaptation because, unfortunately, so much of climate change has already happened. It is baked in as inevitable so we need to scale up adaptation. Third, we need to bring something to the table when it comes to what we ask the rest of the world to do, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable states, some of which will be the worst affected. We are doing that through climate finance. I made the commitment, which we will honour, to provide €225 million a year in climate finance, every year, by 2025.

What is required is a system change. I agree with that call. We need to change the way we generate our electricity, the way we heat our buildings and the way we travel. We need to change our food systems too. That will take time and investment. Changing systems that took generations to build up in a decade or two is an enormous challenge, and one that will take time and require a lot of investment. Mary Robinson has said we are in a very pivotal moment when it comes to climate action. We are on the verge of an irreversible climate catastrophe and, at the same time, we are on the verge of inventing and deploying all the technologies we need to make sure this does not happen. That is the challenge before us.

We have gone up and down the index the Deputy mentioned a few times through the years.

I think it is done by an NGO. I do not think it is an official UN or COP index. NGOs have lots of indexes, as the Deputy knows, and they are entitled to have them.

The Deputy mentioned a treaty. When it comes to any treaty we would, of course, have to see it. We would have to have the legal advice of the Attorney General. Ideally we would have to be involved in negotiating it. Generally if this country adopts a treaty we would be involved in some way in negotiating it. I am not sure this has been the case but we will certainly take a look at it.

I am glad to hear the Taoiseach say that he agrees on the need for system change but again it is a matter of ensuring that actions and outcomes match words and aspirations. The Taoiseach's Government has fallen short on ensuring outcomes are there in place. I repeat again the question. Will the Government oppose the holding of COP 29 in another petrostate? We hope very much that we will see a stronger text emerge from the negotiations today at COP 28 but it is likely that if COP 29 is again held in a petrostate next year as is planned, or the next event, that we will see similar fudging and similar roll backs on the strong text that should be there to phase out fossil fuels, which is the text that Mary Robinson and so many more have called for.

There is more that has to be done at home to ensure that the transition is a just one, to address the socioeconomic impacts of climate change for our poorest communities and our most disadvantaged communities. I echo the calls of my colleague, Senator Rebecca Moynihan, who has called for a task force to investigate here at home in Ireland how the climate crisis will impact on our most disadvantaged communities and what supports the Government has to put in place to ensure there is that just transition. Will the Taoiseach support that call? How will the Taoiseach ensure a just transition here?

As the House will know, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is currently in Dubai.

I hope he stays there.

He is representing Ireland and is also one of the lead negotiators on behalf of the European Union-----

God help us.

-----on this critical issue of climate action and climate finance. I do not know which countries are competing for COP 29, to be very frank. We would certainly prefer that it be in a country that has a good record on climate action rather than one that might be resisting climate action. I am not sure which countries are offering to host at this stage.

The EU's position and the one that Ireland is advocating for at COP is that climate should be at the centre of all financial and economic decisions and that international financial flow should be consistent with the aim to keep global temperature increases as close to the 1.5° as possible by 2030. We have been to the forefront of negotiations on loss and damage and I was happy when I was at COP to announce €25 million towards the newly established loss and damage fund. This is one of the highest per capita contributions of any State.

As I mentioned earlier, we have also committed to €225 million per year in climate finance by 2025, which is a doubling of our previous commitments. We are on track to meet that.