Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
124. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures her Department is taking to address the impact of the climate crisis globally, and to support poorer nations in adapting. [7870/26]
View answerSupporting vulnerable countries in adapting to climate change is a core priority for the Government's climate policy and international climate diplomacy.
At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, the Taoiseach announced that the Government would more than double Ireland’s international climate finance to developing countries by 2025, to at least €225 million annually.
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 2023, the last year for which complete, verified data is available, Ireland provided €159.2 million in international climate finance. We are fully on track to reach the €225 million target for 2025. Some 86% of Ireland’s climate finance is focused on climate change adaptation, either as a whole or as one component.
Our international climate finance is grant-based at point of distribution, 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, including the National Adaptation Plan Global Network and the Least Developed Countries Fund.
As a key element of building climate resilience, Ireland supports 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, Ireland is proud to support the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, with our contributions totalling €10 million since 2022.
In our international climate diplomacy and advocacy, Ireland prioritises seeking a balance between financing for adaptation and mitigation and seeks to ensure that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States are prioritised for climate finance at a global level.
