Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
This is article is taken from the latest edition of Temperature Check, The Journal’s climate newsletter, which is sending special extra editions covering COP29 in Azerbaijan. To receive Temperature Check to your inbox, sign up in the box at the end of this article.
There’s a lot of work to be done to get countries to agree on the details of the new climate finance goal that’s meant to be coming out of COP29.
Monday’s newsletter covered the sticking points that were expected to come up in the negotiations.
Now that we’re a couple of days in, those points of contention are clear in the rooms. A new working draft text is filled with options and sub-options that will need to be whittled down and refined by the end of the conference if a deal is to be done.
“There are clear dividing lines between countries,” said Teresa Anderson, ActionAid International’s Global Lead on Climate Justice.
Speaking to me at the conference, Anderson said that there’s a general sense of agreement that at least the core component of the finance should come through public grants and that the total should be in the region of $1 trillion, but the dilemmas are in the details.
“Developing countries are clear that they need real money in order to advance climate action but what we see is wealthy countries trying to claim that they don’t have the finance and that private finance can fill the gap,” Anderson said.
Anderson said that wealthy countries are “trying to add all sorts of multi-layer investment goals into the new climate finance goal and developing countries are very concerned that investment and loans are being used to displace the pressure for real climate finance”, adding: “We can’t have investment seen as a substitute for finance.”
“Where there are two areas of broad consensus is that there should be some grants and that we’re talking about $1 trillion or more in money – so the question is, what kind of money? Is it real money, or is it loans? Is it corporate investment? Is it carbon markets? Is it grandpa’s old socks? That’s where the disagreement is – on the quality of that target,” she said.
“We see that the new text reflects that range of positions and definitely reflects developed countries’ attempts to count any kind of finance under the sun as climate finance.”
This is The Journal’s fourth year covering the important COP climate conference in person, a sign of our commitment to keep a sharp focus on one of the key challenges facing our world. It’s a commitment that costs time and financial resources to fund but we think it’s worth it. If you think it is important too, please support our readers’ contribution fund here.
The High Ambition Coalition, an informal group of countries that was founded to push for high ambition in the Paris Agreement, released a statement on Wednesday saying that “trillions of dollars” are required. It said that “grant-based” and “concessional” (ie low interest loans) forms of finance are required but that the “right conditions for green investments” (private finance) should also be put in place – essentially, lining up with the position of most wealthy countries.
Ireland is among the countries on the coalition, represented by Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan. After arriving in Azerbaijan late last night, Ryan made his first appearance at COP today, officially starting his stint as a co-facilitator of the talks on climate adaptation.
In between meetings, he spoke to the small contingent of journalists attending the conference from Ireland.
(Well, it started with the small contingent, but a group of people crowding around someone with cameras and microphones is the journalist equivalent of a moth to a flame; our little group rapidly expanded as other reporters in the vicinity hurried over to grab some quotes for themselves. A couple asked me who this fella was. I think another might have addressed him as ‘prime minister’ at one point.)
Advertisement
Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan surrounded by international journalists at COP29 Lauren Boland / The Journal
Lauren Boland / The Journal / The Journal
Ryan said that transitioning to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency is “the peace project of our time” in order to reduce conflicts catalysed by extraction of oil and gas, then went on to say that he knew Azerbaijan’s president had “said yesterday about God-given fossil fuels and that we have to use them, but God also gave renewables”.
“It comes down from the heavens in the form of solar power and the weather systems. That’s going to be the centre of the energy transition, the economic transition, the just transition,” he said.
Ryan said that renewables are expanding massively but that there is a discrepancy between clean energy investments into developed and developing countries.
“There’s a fundamental justice issue that the capital is there for Europe, for China, for America, but for lower income countries, either they’re frozen out of the markets or the interest rates are a multiple of what they are in the developed countries. That’s what this COP is about. It’s about changing the financial system so that fundamental injustice does not continue into the future.”
On whether Ireland might ever pursue nuclear power, he said: “I don’t think Ireland would go into nuclear, because God looked after Ireland by giving it a lot of wind, and we’ve already shown, even in cloudy Ireland, that solar is now cheaper.”
Scene from the venue: The Brazil pavilion at COP29. Brazil is lined up to host the next COP in 2025. Lauren Boland / The Journal
Lauren Boland / The Journal / The Journal
As it happens, earlier in the day I had met up with Dr Fionn Rogan, a senior research fellow in energy systems modelling at University College Cork, and we talked about where Ireland and the world need to get to on energy.
The last COP that Dr Rogan attended before this one was COP21 in 2015 when the Paris Agreement was signed. He said renewable energy has come a long way since then but we’re still not yet driving down energy emissions far enough.
“Clean energy investment is now double fossil fuel energy investment. There’s a lot happening on the deployment of renewable energy, particularly solar, but that hasn’t fully translated into emissions reductions,” he said.
“That’s part of the challenge. You’ll hear people here at the COP praising the deployment of renewables, which is true, but we haven’t been fully reducing emissions at the same time. That’s a problem.”
Dr Rogan said that Ireland has made progress on decarbonising electricity, though not as quickly as it ideally should be.
“We’re at about 40% renewable electricity and our transition plan is around electrifying everything – electrifying heat, electrifying transport,” he said – but “if the electricity demand is growing faster than the level of renewables are coming online, then we’re not getting that decarbonisation to happen”.
“How we heat our buildings and how we transport ourselves and our goods – we need to decarbonise those and that’s will happen through electrification but also through demand management,” he said.
“In transport, it’s about how we get around, how we go to work, how we commute, how we go to school, how we hang out with our friends, how we go shopping. We are still very car dependent in Ireland. Electrification is part of the solution but we don’t want to have grid lock with electric cars – that’s only marginally better than gridlock with petrol and diesel cars. We need a whole systems approach.”
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
24 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
@Setanta O’Toole: Except for the kids your lot torment with constant climate change catastrophe dialogue despite it not ever going to happen. Maybe think before posting ridiculous comments.
@Basildon Joe: Nope completely healthy so I think you should keep your “feelings” separate to facts. The likes of yourself, and that other illiterate monkey hate facts.
The UN must begin the legal process to expel the US from it’s structures, and following a vote, to subsequently assemble an international military force to expel the Nazi Zionist regime from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
And still no response from the journal as to what good are them unlicensed Joe brollies are in their pic accompanying the story to people in the wind n rain apart from been a nuisance to other footpaths users where the spokes can take one’s eye out
@Jamie Hinch: Weren’t you on here saying the last bout of windy weather was akin to a hurricane? It didn’t lift as much as a lid of a bin here in an area that was said to be most affected.
In 2025, that disgusting Hamas flag, needs to be removed from Leinster House, it’s a pity that this country has absolutely no opposition in the Dail, so depressing
Looks like the little coksucker Brenny mobilised all his multiple accounts to thumbs up to generate favour because his bosses said so, what a rag The Journal.ie is, a lefty rag, nobody take it seriously
European stock markets bounce back as Trump pauses most tariffs - but keeps 125% levy on China
Updated
1 hr ago
8.8k
44
Like Father Like Daughter
Crowds erupt as Rory McIlroy’s daughter Poppy drains 30-foot putt at the Masters
1 hr ago
14.4k
9
u-turn
Trump announces 90-day tariff 'pause' on countries that 'have not retaliated', ratchets up China rate to 125%
Updated
12 hrs ago
58.2k
173
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 164 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 111 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 146 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 116 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 85 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 85 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 39 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 35 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 136 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 61 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 76 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 84 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 47 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 93 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 100 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 73 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 55 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 91 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 69 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say