Bairbre de Brún, Sinn Féin MEP was in Stormont to meet with Development Aid NGOs (Trocaire, Christian Aid, Concern, Oxfam Ireland) ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change talks in Durban which she will be attending as part of the official delegation from the European Parliament.

Ms de Brún said: "This was a very interesting and informative meeting and I pledged to raise at Durban the many points they raised with me. The issue of climate justice and developing countries is central to the way European countries need to approach the UN talks. Although developing countries have historically contributed the least to the global rise in temperature, they are disproportionately affected by the high levels of emissions which have been pumped out by the developed nations since the industrial revolution.

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"These developed nations, including the EU, have an immense responsibility in ensuring that their emissions are curbed significantly whilst also making sure that the developing nations have the capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change. It is therefore imperative that sufficient financing, promised at previous negotiations, is properly mobilised to allow developing countries a sustainable path to clean low-carbon futures, and to help them cope with the effects of the change already happening.

"I further pledged to those I met to go back again to the Irish government on their failure to bring forward the promised climate change legislation."

Ms de Brún will be in Durban, South Africa from the 5th of December to attend the high level segment of UN Climate Change Negotiations.

(CD)