Cop27: Mary Robinson calls for ‘positive narrative’ on climate action

Former president and climate justice campaigner Mary Robinson has said that clean energy is the way forward for developing countries and that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank should support developing countries in climate action.

Ms Robinson, who is also chair of The Elders, the independent global leaders working for peace, justice and human rights, told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that the war in Ukraine had slowed climate action progress as EU countries had to replace gas supplies from Russia with gas from elsewhere.

There needed to be a “rethink” she said. This was the time for Europe to go even faster in pursuing green energy.

[ Developing countries will need $2tn a year by 2030 to cope with climate breakdown – report ]

The World Bank and the IMF should provide “solidarity funding” for developing countries who were struggling with energy supply and climate action, she urged.

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The former president also called for a “positive narrative” on climate action. “We need to get over this hump” to pursue global green energy, she said.

When asked if developing countries should have the right to extract their fossil fuel reserves, Ms Robinson said the anger of African leaders was understandable, but made the case that clean energy was the way forward. Using fossil fuels would “hurt African countries sooner and worse”, she warned.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will outline Ireland’s national position at the Cop27 global climate conference in Egypt on Tuesday afternoon.

In advance of a series of meetings with global leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheik, Mr Martin said delivery of climate pledges must be accelerated by developed countries, including Ireland.

He said the provision of offshore wind energy will be accelerated under changes to planning legislation which will make it harder to block projects and pledged to deliver on Ireland’s carbon-reduction commitments by scaling up the development of offshore wind projects.

On Monday, speaking at the Cop27 summit, UN secretary-general António Guterres said time was running out to address the climate crisis and, in a highly critical address to world leaders, called on governments to tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies. “Let’s redirect the money to people struggling with rising food and energy prices, and to countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis.”