The Department of Climate alone incurred more than €153,000 in flights, accommodation and associated costs for the COP30 climate event in Brazil, not including other Irish Government Departments and State agencies, new figures indicate.
The data was released in response to a recent parliamentary question, in which Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke asked Climate Minister Darragh O’Brien for the cost of the Irish delegation’s trip to COP30, the 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, which took place in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
The conference took place over the course of 11 days.
According to O’Brien, the final cost for the Department’s attendance has not been finalised.
“The final cost associated with my Department’s participation at the conference is not yet available in full, as there are pending items to be addressed and payments to be finalised,” he said.
However, he broke down the cost to date, including “carbon offsetting” for flights.
“I can share that the current estimated costs associated with accommodation, flights and transport on the ground in Belém amounts to some €153,252, including costs associated with carbon offsetting for the flights,” he explained.
“Once all financial matters are closed, I will be happy to furnish full details from my Department.”
Notably, the Minister indicated that other Irish Government Departments and State agencies likely also incurred costs of their own associated with the event, but that he didn’t have access to this information.
“Questions with respect to the costs incurred by other Departments or Agencies in relation to COP30 should be directed to the appropriate Department or Agency concerned,” he said.
These include the Departments of Foreign Affairs, the Department of the Taoiseach, and others.
The expense was slammed by Aontú leader Peadar Toibín TD, who said the value to the Irish public was negligible.
“This is a savage amount of money with very little to show for it,” he said.
“What exactly was achieved by the Irish government? When you consider that nearly half a million people live in fuel poverty or are in energy bill arrears, this type of expenditure is obscene.”
He went on to claim that the Government was “really poor” in helping citizens reduce emissions.
“People want access to reliable public transport,” he said.
“In Meath we are looking for proper a rail line to Dublin. People want proper grants to retrofit their homes or buy solar panels.
“For most the cost is prohibitive. Farmers want help for small scale micro generation of electricity. There is not sufficient support.”
Meanwhile, Independent TD Carol Nolan questioned the need to attend the conference at all.
“Ireland’s participation at these events is almost completely redundant given how our environmental policies are outsourced to, and determined by the EU,” she said.
Meanwhile, Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn said it was an example of “hypocrisy, pure and simple.”
“The Government lectures people about cutting emissions, but it spares no expense flying itself around the world,” he said.
“I will be demanding the full costs, Department by Department, and an explanation of how any of this expenditure benefited the Irish people…€153,000 for one Department to attend COP30 is an insult to every taxpayer in the country. And that is only the Climate Department’s bill. We still do not know what the rest of Government spent.
“While families are choosing between heat and groceries, Ministers are signing off on luxury travel tabs with no accountability and no measurable return for Ireland. This is climate virtue-signalling at champagne prices.”
Speaking ahead of his attendance at the event, Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the event as important as the world experiences what he called “a litany of record-breaking climate events.”
“No country can successfully address climate change alone,” he said.
“COP30 is an opportunity for nations like Ireland to recommit to the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement to limit emissions in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“COP30 is also particularly important for Ireland because the next COP will take place while Ireland holds the Presidency of the EU and we will lead at the negotiations for the EU at COP31.”