Trócaire attends heated climate change talks in Barcelona

Trócaire’s Policy Officer, Niamh Garvey, is at a major conference in Barcelona to seek better protection for poor countries affected by destructive climate change.

The UN conference is the last stop before December’s meeting in Copenhagen when world leaders will agree a new deal to tackle and reduce climate change.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions and helping poor countries cope with drought, floods and lethal storms are the hottest topics on the table. While developing countries suffer most from climate change, rich countries are the worst offenders, emitting high levels of greenhouse gases that cause dramatic changes in weather.

African countries gravely affected by climate change withdrew temporarily from the talks but have since returned. They felt that developed nations were not committing enough to cut greenhouse gases and keep global warming below a 2 degree rise.

“Developing countries are increasingly being asked to choose between a bad deal or no deal. They are quite rightly choosing instead to take a stand,” Niamh Garvey said.

“In private European delegations have been quietly supportive of the African stance. But that needs to be translated into some constructive actions - European countries can’t play it both ways.”

The talks are about more than money for developing countries. While financial support for adaptation is absolutely crucial, preventing the most devastating effects of climate change requires dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by industrialised countries. 

"If underlining this point is the only outcome of the African decision to disengage with the talks, it will have proved to have been a good decision," said Niamh.