Ireland’s International Climate Action

The Climate Action Plan 2021reflects Ireland’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Actions and targets are set out in the plan aimed at increasing Ireland’s international climate action.

These include:

• Seek to at least double the percentage of Official Development Assistance spending on climate finance by 2030, to deliver at least €225 million a year by 2025, and report on expenditure each year;
• Develop and implement approaches to climate-proof all ODA, and continue to include climate as a core theme in strategy development in the countries where Ireland has a significant development cooperation programme;
• Place climate action, especially for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, at the heart of all development cooperation and policy partnerships, as well as our engagement in multilateral processes;
• Work with international partners to ensure that climate action remains a major policy priority; and
• Engage proactively in international negotiations relating to climate action including a new UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Implementing Agreement.

Ireland has an important role to play in promoting climate action internationally, including in advocacy, finance and adaptation.

Actions recently completed under previous Climate Action Plans include:

• €175m was committed in international funding to support climate resilience between 2016 and 2020.
• 2019 international climate finance was more than €93.5m (see Climate Finance Report 2019).
• Annual contribution of €4 million to the Green Climate Fund up to 2023 to help developing countries transition towards a low-carbon climate resilient economy.
• Ireland’s new policy for International Development A Better World places climate action as a major policy priority.
• Strong alliance with Least Developed Countries as they deal with the effects of climate change.
• Relationships with other island states deepened, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and a SIDS strategy was launched in 2019.
• Ireland led the action track on Youth Engagement and Public Mobilisation for long-lasting climate solutions at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Over 50 UN member states signed up to the youth pledge initiative - ‘Kwon Gesh’.
• Ireland’s Strategy for Africa to 2025 was launched in November 2019, with Climate as a core theme.
• Ireland co-chaired the UN Security Council’s Informal Experts Group on Climate and Security for 2021 which included drafting of its work programme and identifying experts for briefings.

Tackling climate change is a global challenge. Ireland’s international climate action is focused on helping the most vulnerable men and women to adapt to climate impacts, and secure a just and fair transition. Ireland is well known for giving a global voice to those most at risk and is committed to increasing funding for climate action.

Climate change also poses a threat to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. These goals are a United Nations global initiative, to help achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

Please click here to return to the main climate action page.