Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 1992

Vol. 415 No. 1

Written Answers. - Global Warming.

Peter Barry

Ceist:

338 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for the Environment if Ireland will be represented at the environmental summit on global warming, to take place in June 1992; if he will outline the views this country will be taking towards the sharing of the cost of dealing with the effects of global warming; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Dr. O'Hanlon)

Ireland will be represented at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. Ireland has strongly supported the preparations for UNCED, in particular by hosting a major UN Conference on Water and the Environment which is taking place in Dublin from 26 to 31 January 1992. The Dublin Conference has been mandated to provide a major input on freshwater issues to agenda 21 of UNCED.

It is intended that a Convention on Climate Change will be one of the main items on the UNCED agenda, and an International Negotiating Conference (INC) has been charged with preparing this convention. The INC has not completed its work, and detailed proposals still have to be developed on the question of cost-sharing. While detailed national positions on this aspect are not therefore appropriate at this stage, Ireland in common with its EC partners has indicated support for the principle that new and additional financial resources are needed to assist developing countries to deal with global environmental externalities.