Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that climate change is "the single greatest challenge the world faces".

He is leading the Irish delegation at the COP27 summit, where representatives from all over the world will discuss how they each can tackle the climate crisis individually and as a global community.

The Taoiseach is joined by Climate Minister Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

Speaking ahead of the summit which kicks off in Egypt today, he stressed the importance of the climate conference.

"Its effects are already being felt in more extreme weather events, and its consequences are fueling conflict, global instability, competition for resources and abject human misery in some of the world’s poorest countries."

“Political leaders meeting at Cop27 have a special responsibility to urgently drive the transformation needed to secure the sustainable future of our planet and its people."

Targets

The European Union is calling on those in power who are attending to take action to reduce emissions.

Head of the European Commission’s Representation in Ireland Barbara Nolan told Newstalk that COP27 is an opportunity which cannot be squandered.

"Our key asks at this particular conference is to end inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, to phase down the use of coal, to reduce methane emissions and to align all targets with the 1.5 degrees celsius goal", she explained.

"The EU is also the world's largest contributor of climate finance."

"We will also be using our leverage in that regard to support countries that don't have the means to undertake the necessary reforms."

"If we miss this opportunity, we are really going to go backwards in terms of our efforts to save the planet."

Criticism

According to environmentalist John Gibbons, the COP climate negotiations have been an "enormous failure" over the last three decades.

In Europe, temperatures climbed to their highest levels on record for this late in the year.

Some parts of the continent even experienced temperatures as much as 20 degrees above normal.

According to Mr Gibbons, enough hasn't been done to stop such a feat.

"In the 30 years that we've had the global intergovernmental climate negotiations through the COP process, in that time, worldwide climate emissions have more than doubled", he said.

"So we can say for certain that this process to date has been an enormous failure."

Main image shows Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in 2022. Picture by: PA Images/Alamy