Mary Robinson: 'Fallacy' that Ireland is a minor offender in global emissions picture

"It is a false equivalency. We are a rich country — not everyone in Ireland is rich obviously, we are an unequal country  — but by global terms, we are a rich country and our carbon footprint is quite high," she said.

We haven't been in the front of reducing that; we have been a laggard until recently with good climate legislation. 

"Now we are on course to reduce to 29% our commitment to reducing emissions by 2030, not 51% as is in our legislation — 29% is not good. We need to step up and do a lot better."

She also said the upcoming UN climate change summit Cop28 must be a pivotal moment in keeping global warming to 1.5C.

World leaders at the global summit in Dubai will need to show greater ambition in phasing out the use of fossil fuels if there is any hope of limiting global warming increases, she said.

According to the Paris Agreement, a 1.5C rise in temperatures was set as the target limit for the rise globally compared to 1850-1900, in order to stave off the very worst fallout from climate change.

A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) ahead of Cop28 said that the fossil fuel industry must once and for all decide if it wants to be part of the solution or double down on its part in worsening climate change.

The IEA said, in its "Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions" report, that fossil fuel companies currently account for just 1% of clean energy investment globally, and 60% of that comes from just four firms. It is now a "moment of truth" for the fossil fuel industry, the IEA warned.

Ms Robinson said as well as a need to phase out fossil fuels and scale up clean energy, there must be a "just transition".

It is extremely important to put people first and create outcomes that are fair for those who are on the front lines of climate impacts.

Just transition is the term used to describe making sure employment opportunities and societal benefits are present for those who live and work in communities tied to legacy industries such as coal mining and peat extraction, as well as protecting less financially secure and vulnerable citizens.