The stance of US president-elect Donald Trump denying the existence of climate change has met with a growing chorus of criticism from international, as well as Irish, political leaders.
Mr Trump's insistence that man-made climate change does not exist has continued to dominate public discourse at the second week of the UN's 22nd global summit on climate in Marrakech, Morocco.
The New York billionaire has said he will withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord, the historic agreement between almost 200 countries to limit the increase in global temperatures to below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
In Marrakech, French President François Hollande was highly critical of Mr Trump’s position and insisted the agreement was irreversible. Addressing the conference, Mr Hollande said that inaction would be “disastrous for future generations and it would be dangerous for peace”.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon called on Mr Trump to drop a campaign pledge to cancel the Accord, the aim of which is to wean all nations off fossil fuels by mid-century, to be replaced by alternative sources of energy.
“The United States, the largest economic power in the world, the second largest greenhouse gas emitter, must respect the commitments it has undertaken,” said President Hollande
Mr Ban said Mr Trump was a successful business person and would understand that market forces were driving the world economy towards cleaner energies such as wind and solar power.
“I am sure he will make a fast and wise decision,” on the Paris Agreement, said Mr Ban.
Minister for Communications, Energy and Climate Change Denis Naughten also expressed concern about the position adopted by Mr Trump.
The Minister, who is attending the conference in Marrakech, said that delegates at the climate change conference were very concerned about the president-elect’s position. “The American delegation is very determined to push ahead with the climate agenda, but what changes will happen after January remain to be seen.”
In a series of interviews on Tuesday, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan described Mr Trump's position as 'lunacy' and one capable of causing huge problems.
“The people behind Trump – they just don’t believe in science, they’re completely outside any norm,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. “ . . . America can do its own thing, it’s going to damage America. That’s what we’re up against – the lunacy that is now released.”
Mr Naughten will address the plenary session of the summit on Wednesday. He has pledged to publish the draft of the first national mitigation plan by the end of the month, and will also pledge to develop a clean air strategy.
He is also expected to give new details about the plans of the joint venture between Bord na Móna and Coillte to produce and to burn biomass.
The summit is the first to be held since the Paris Accord was signed in December. Now ratified, the conference is looking at what can be implemented by 2020 and also looking at how the pledges made by individual parties can be reconciled with the ambitious targets of the Accord.
