President Michael D Higgins has said countries who can lead the way in climate action are failing to take the climate crisis seriously.
The President is in Portugal to attend an annual meeting of EU presidents, known as the Arraiolos Group.
This year's meeting, attended by 14 non-executive heads of state, takes place in the city of Porto where discussions will include the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine and migration.
President Higgins is focused on the climate crisis, food security and is urging a greater commitment by members of the United Nations to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - the UN’s blueprint for improving lives and protecting natural resources.
Speaking to RTÉ News, President Higgins said: "I think that what we are dealing with a set of interlocking crises, and they are connected.
"The strongest statements in recent times on climate change were made by the Secretary General Guterres of the United Nations who said we are not taking the issue seriously.
"I think he criticised the lead countries in particular who have made commitments that they haven’t fulfilled.
"The failure of climate change is affecting migration. You have always had some global migration, but you have new levels of global migration and the choice morally whether you will seek to erect barriers to keep people out or whether you’ll try to understand the sources in global poverty.
"And that’s the real danger now is a kind of politics of fear will inform all of these issues when in fact we are challenged to get to a new place, and we can get to a new place.
"We must start providing funding to science and technology in the areas most affected to respond to climate change.
"In the case of Ireland, which has a brilliant record to trying to work towards resolving conflict, a very, very good record in relation to being one of the key responders to humanitarian assistance, we are required now to look at the structural issues that are causing all of these deep problems."
The President arrived in Porto yesterday where he held a bilateral meeting with host President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal.
He also held meetings will fellow attendees President George Vella of Malta and President Alar Karis of Estonia.
This 18th meeting of the Arraiolos Group marks the 20th anniversary of the first meeting, which took place in the Portuguese town of Arraiolos in 2003.
The meeting is also attended by the Presidents of Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Bulgaria, Poland and Slovenia.
President Higgins will later this month travel to Rome, where he will address the World Food Forum on the issue of food security.
While in Rome, President Michael D Higgins will meet Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
