THE TAOISEACH HAS told other world leaders about how Ireland was hit by Storm Éowyn earlier this year, saying that climate change is no longer a far-off threat but a “daily reality”.

Speaking at the world’s largest climate conference, he warned that the spirit of collaboration on climate action has been “weakening” on the global stage in recent years.

Dozens of presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from around the world have gathered today in the Brazilian city of Belém to open COP30, the UN’s 30th annual climate summit.

It is a rare opportunity for leaders to have dedicated time to address delegations from other countries directly about climate change and the path they believe the world should chart to take action against it.

Micheál Martin used his time on the stage this afternoon to talk about how climate change is threatening Ireland and elsewhere and the part that Ireland will play in trying to secure a safe environment for all.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a daily reality and we are all feeling its consequences,” he said.

The main conference hall was full as world leaders delivered their speeches before negotiations begin. COP30 COP30

He told the busy conference room of how, since the last year’s COP in Azerbaijan, Ireland “experienced Storm Éowyn, which brought the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in my country and the highest storm surges on our western seaboard”, and saw its “warmest spring and summer on record and an unprecedented marine heatwave”.

He noted that countries in the Caribbean were devastated only last week by Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm ever to make landfall in the region.

“The poorest and most vulnerable nations, and the poorest people within all nations — those who did least to cause this crisis — are often those who suffer first and suffer most,” he said.

“We all must recognise that each of our futures is connected. All nations, large and small, rich and poor, will reap what we collectively sow in these crucial years.”

Reading the room

This is Micheál Martin’s third COP since he became Taoiseach in 2020. His first was COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, which was also the first COP held after the outbreak of Covid-19.

Since then, he’s felt a shift in attitude towards working together on climate action.

“I recall when the world gathered in Glasgow for COP26. The mood then was optimistic as we emerged from the pandemic,” he recalled, adding that there was a “large global turnout and a palpable sense of joint purpose to tackle the shared challenge of climate change”.

Now, he said:

I am concerned that that spirit of common purpose is weakening.

The Taoiseach said the world’s attention is being “drawn to other threats and crises that can seem more pressing”, such as conflicts or economic pressures.

“All have been presented as reasons to ease or delay action. But increasingly, the challenges we face arise because of climate change, and this will worsen with time.

“At a time when political leadership has never been more vital, there are fewer of us here in Belém, fewer Leaders ready to tell it as it is.

“Climate change is unarguable. The science is undeniable. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking.

If we are not prepared to tell our citizens the truth about this, we are failing them, and this planet, in the most profound way.

COP30

A lot of the business of COP30 will be about how to progress and implement decisions made in previous years, like how to move away from burning fossil fuels and how to financially support vulnerable countries that have contributed the least to climate change but are most threatened by its impacts.

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The Taoiseach said that Ireland is “keen to scale up and improve access to climate finance to tackle loss and damage facing vulnerable countries”.

There was no new announcement in the Taoiseach’s speech about any specific amounts that Ireland might contribute.

Climate change is unarguable. The science is undeniable. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking.#COP30 pic.twitter.com/AnKvuoFQaN

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 6, 2025

Responding to the speech, Deirdre Duffy, CEO of Friends of the Earth Ireland, said that the Taoiseach must match his words at COP30 to meaningful climate action at home.

“Despite what the Taoiseach has said in Belém, Ireland is not on track to reduce emissions in accordance with national and EU obligations, as well Paris Agreement commitments,” Duffy said.

She said the the Irish government is “allowing big polluters to call the shots at home – from data centres that drain our energy and water supplies, to plans for new LNG terminals that would drive climate breakdown and push energy bills even higher”.

“The government must now work both at home and in Belém to drastically reduce emissions in line with national obligations, rapidly phase out fossil fuels and deliver our fair share of climate finance to communities on the frontlines who have done the least to cause this crisis but are already living with its devastating impacts.”

Duffy said:

If the Taoiseach’s words at COP are to mean anything, the Government must take steps that both reduce pollution and make people’s lives better

She said this should include “insulating homes in communities that need it most, stopping the expansion of energy-hungry data centres, and ruling out new fossil fuel projects such as LNG terminals.”

“Together, these actions would mean cleaner air, warmer homes, and a better quality of life for everyone.”