Written answer
Climate Change Policy
85. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures her Department is taking to address the impact of climate crisis globally, and to support poorer nations in adapting. [37328/26]
Comment on this
Support for vulnerable countries in adapting to climate change is a core priority for the Government's climate policy and international engagement.
At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, the Taoiseach announced that the Government would more than double Ireland’s international climate finance to developing countries to at least €225 million annually, by 2025.
Ireland’s International Climate Finance Roadmap published in 2022 sets out our strategy and priorities for this scale-up in funding. It builds on Ireland's positive record on climate finance, maintaining a focus on adaptation in some of the countries most vulnerable to, but least responsible for, climate change, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
In 2024, the last year for which complete, verified data is available, Ireland provided €207.7 million in international climate finance, more than double the level in 2020. We are fully on track to reach the €225 million target for 2025. Some 89% of Ireland’s climate finance is focused on climate change adaptation.
Our international climate finance is grant-based and channelled through our missions abroad, through multilateral organisations, and through NGO partners. Ireland provides funding to several multilateral funds that assist countries in developing and implementing their National Adaptation Plans for Climate Change, including the National Adaptation Plan Global Network and the Least Developed Countries Fund.
As a key element of building climate resilience, we are supporting the development of early warning systems so that vulnerable countries can prepare earlier and more effectively for extreme weather events and climate crises. To this end, we are proud to support the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, with our contributions totalling €14 million since 2022.
In our international climate diplomacy and advocacy, Ireland prioritises seeking a balance between financing for adaptation and mitigation and ensuring that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States are prioritised for climate finance at a global level.