THE FIRST meeting in Ireland under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened yesterday in an effort to reach agreement on the transfer of low-carbon technologies to developing countries.
Officially called the UNFCCC Expert Group on Technology Transfer, the meeting at Farmleigh House in Dublin has drawn delegates from Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, North America and Europe, as well as representatives of the World Bank and other UN agencies.
Opening the three-day session, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said it was "a great honour for Ireland" to host the meeting. "Climate change is a global problem and will only be solved by countries working together," he added.
"We need to develop the technology to help us in this task", the Minister said. "Developing countries are bearing the brunt of climate change; industrialised countries should work with them for a common solution to a problem that affects all of us."
"The negotiations on technology have come to the fore of the international negotiations, and I hope that the meetings in Dublin this week help move us towards an equitable and effective global agreement on climate change."
Dr Morgan Bazilian, special adviser to Mr Ryan on energy policy and a leading figure in the promotion of low-carbon technology transfer worldwide, said the ideas generated in Dublin would be presented at December's UN climate change summit in Poznan.
"The main idea here is to facilitate the transfer of energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies to developing countries and to promote their development across the world," he said. "Without technological development and sharing, we will not tackle climate change."
At the Bali summit in December 2007, parties to the UNFCCC decided to launch formal negotiations on a strengthened international deal on climate change. These negotiations are set to be concluded by the end of 2009 at a climate-change summit in Copenhagen.
Under both the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries - including Ireland - committed themselves to reduce their domestic greenhouse gas emissions and also to provide financial assistance and technology transfer to developing countries.
The talks at Farmleigh are being hosted by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Participants have come from as far away as Samoa and the Cook Islands.