Ireland is “fully on-track” to hit its target of spending €225 million on “international climate finance” to help foreign states prepare for climate change, according to Junior Minister Neale Richmond.
At the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November 2021, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland would be providing at least €225 million by 2025 in “international climate finance” to help developing countries combat the effects of climate change. This represented a more than doubling from 2020 levels.
Replying to a recent parliamentary question about the pledge, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Neale Richmond confirmed that Ireland was on-course to meet its target, saying it was “integral” to Ireland’s foreign policy.
He said that the focus was primarily on “least developed countries” and small island developing countries.
“Ireland’s International Climate Finance Roadmap (2022) sets out our strategy and priorities for this scale-up in funding,” he said.
“It builds on Ireland’s positive record on climate finance, maintaining a focus on adaptation in some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
“It also expands our focus in key areas including ocean protection, biodiversity, and Loss and Damage.”
Richmond said that the Government is “committed to” delivering on this plan, and that it has been “steadily” increasing its “annual international climate-related expenditure”.
“In 2023, the last year for which complete, verified data are available, Ireland provided €159.2 million in international climate finance,” he said.
“We are fully on track to reach the €225 million target this year, 2025.
“An external review of the 2022 Climate Finance Roadmap is being completed in 2025, and it will be used to inform climate finance expenditure in the period 2026-2030.”
In 2023, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar explained that “we need to put our money where our mouth is and help poorer countries to reduce emissions,” adding: “By doing so we will help ourselves.”