Explaining climate change can be tricky and confusing with carbon dioxide equivalents, percentage figures compared with pre-industrial comparisons, biogenic methane emissions and the devil and all.
Sometimes, you wish it could all be expressed in old money, pounds shillings and pence.
Well, a new report commissioned jointly by the UK and Egyptian governments does just that.
By 2030, poor countries will need $2 trillion every year in funding to cope with the impact of climate change, it has found.
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As Kevin O’Sullivan reports, this has brought the financial issues at Cop27 at Sharm El-Sheikh into sharper focus.
The cash will be needed so climate-vulnerable states can switch away from fossil fuels, invest in renewable energy and other low-carbon technology, and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to the report. As Kevin reports, it has led to demands that wealthy countries move urgently to scale up international finance.
Earlier yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin made his formal speech to the conference in which he pleaded for more urgent action, and claimed Ireland was more than doing its part, but was helping to lead from the front.
“It is realistic for our legacy to be a sustainable planet; a world alive with an abundance of plant and animal life; with cleaner water and healthier air; with liveable cities and sustainable rural communities. We will do everything in our power to bring it about,” he underlined.
“This generation of leaders cannot say that we didn’t know. The science is clear. Every tonne of carbon warms the world. Every delay makes our task that bit bigger. Let us not waste a second more.”
Higher Earners to get Higher Welfare
Jennifer Bray has written our lead story this morning, a heads-up on a memo to be taken to Cabinet. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is proposing a welfare model based on the emergency Covid payments that those with higher earnings who lost their jobs get a higher rate of welfare.
It’s a model that was used successfully during Covid where those who earned more than €400 per week pre-pandemic were paid €350 a week, with the payment rate tapered down in stages to a minimum of €203 per week for those who had been earning between €151.50 and €200 a week.
As Jennifer reports: “Confirming the move to reform the system and offer higher earners a higher welfare payment, Ms Humphreys said she did not want to see a situation whereby people faced a steep drop in income if they suddenly lost their job.”
Out of the Frying Pan Into the Mire
Or from the sublime to the ridiculous. The Taoiseach will fly back from a UN conference on the future existence of the globe and will immediately face a very different kind of crisis – the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.
The party meets tonight following the farce surrounding Marc MacSharry’s attempt to be readmitted to the parliamentary party. MacSharry resigned last week during the mid-term break and tonight will be the first opportunity for his former colleagues to speak about it.
MacSharry was about to be readmitted when a Sligo councillor complained about language used about him by MacSharry in a WhatsApp group of which both were members. The party put his admission on hold pending the outcome of an investigation. The Sligo TD resigned from the party in protest at what he claimed was a lack of due process.
Ahead of tonight’s meeting, an anonymous two-page briefing paper was posted in the pigeon box of all Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators yesterday, setting out the case for MacSharry.
MacSharry was an outspoken critic of Martin and found it hard to resist taking verbal potshots at the Taoiseach.
There are mixed views about him among colleagues. Some consider him to be the author of his own misfortune. Others believe the situation was poorly handled by Martin and by Chief Whip Jack Chambers.
Martin has a not inconsiderable group of internal critics but has managed to best them throughout his leadership of the party, and during his time as Taoiseach. However, from the moment he steps down and becomes tánaiste, the clock will be ticking. Fianna Fáil is currently languishing at 16 per cent in the polls, a distant third behind Sinn Féin and Fine Gael.
It is unlikely the party will recover any ground in the next election if it doesn’t replace the leader. That’s the realpolitik and everybody in Fianna Fáil knows it.
It’s certain that MacSharry’s case will be raised tonight by the Taoiseach’s critics. The question is about timing. Will they choose to make an issue of it and begin to force the issue? But what purpose would that serve? From another perspective, the horse has bolted. There will be other times to consider the future of the party and that won’t take place until the middle of 2023.
And if we thought MacSharry’s language was spicy…
There’s always Gavin Williamson, the first minister to resign from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet.
Williamson was fighting fires on multiple fronts in the past few days, about his behaviour, about accusations of bullying, of using foul language and intimidation.
He was a controversial figure having been fired by Theresa May after being identified as the person in cabinet who leaked sensitive documents.
As we report this morning: “The decision to resign follows allegations he sent expletive-laden messages to former chief whip Wendy Morton complaining about being refused an invitation to the Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, claims he bullied a former official at the ministry of defence and an accusation of ‘unethical and immoral’ behaviour while he was chief whip.
In a series of texts peppered with swear words, Williamson accused Morton of seeking to “punish” MPs out of favour with then-premier Liz Truss by excluding them from the queen’s funeral, warning: “There is a price for everything.”
He is also alleged to have told an official to “slit your throat” and on a separate occasion told them to “jump out of the window”, according to a Guardian report.
BEST READS
Karol Balfe, chief executive of ActionAid, writes about a report from the NGO which outlines the long-term extent of climate disasters on women and girls.
Miriam Lord on the very different styles of Mary Lou McDonald and Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath.
Cormac McQuinn reports that gardaí are concerned that powers in the draft law on abortion safe access zones “fall short” of providing the tools needed to investigate serious offences.
Sarah Burns reports on criticism of a tweet posted by Fine Gael’s Josepha Madigan immediately after the news broke about the Creeslough explosion. Madigan wrote: “One hopes this isn’t deliberate, but it is yet to be clarified! I hope no-one is injured and they find the culprits.” It was sent before it became known that 10 people had died. Thomas Pringle was outraged by the tweet.
PLAYBOOK
The Cabinet meets this morning. The meeting was delayed a day to allow the Taoiseach return from Egypt. Jack Horgan-Jones has got the lowdown on the main items that will be discussed.
“The Government is to run a pilot project offering house-share accommodation for young people in social housing as part of an overhaul of youth homelessness strategies.
It’s part of a new strategy from Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien. “Among the elements,” Jack reports, “is a pilot scheme using social housing as shared accommodation for young people.
“…Under the pilot, there would be more flexibility allowing people to apply for social housing placements in shared accommodation – replicating ‘house-share’ style arrangements in the private sector.”
It is aimed at people aged 18-24.
DÁIL
A long day in the chamber with seven pieces of legislation before the House, including the new Bill on hate speech.
9.12am: Topical Issues
10am: Private Members’ Business: Motion on Long Covid Health Services from the Regional Group.
12pm: Leaders’ Questions
2.05pm: Statements on Water Policy
5.35pm: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Second Stage):
Also the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 (Second Stage). This has been subject to a lot of debate with civil liberties groups saying the definition is not tight enough in terms of definition.
6.35pm: Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages)
7.20pm: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages)
7.50pm: Personal Injuries Resolution Board Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages)
8.35pm: Deferred Divisions. Votes on all motions for the week.
8.50pm: Mental Health (Capacity to Consent to Treatment) Bill 2021 (Second Stage)
9.05pm: Dáil adjourns
SEANAD
A long day too with the main legislative debate being on the Air Navigation and Transport Bill 2020.
COMMITTEES
9.30am: Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Enterprise Ireland will be in to talk about current issues affecting trade in Ireland.
9.30am: Joint Committee on Health.
Pre-legislative scrutiny of General Scheme of a Bill on Termination of Pregnancy Safe Access Zones
Representatives from An Garda Síochána. Read Cormac McQuinn’s report.
5.30pm: Committee on Budgetary Oversight.
Examination of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare Report with ESRI, Social Justice Ireland, Nevin Economic Research Institute and Dr Micheál Collins.
