He made the announcement at the first national What’s So Hot About Climate Change? day, which encouraged youngsters to discuss their own concerns about climate change with environmental experts.
Around 100 youngsters met in Dublin for the event, which was hosted by Eco-Unesco, an organisation aiming to raise young people’s awareness of environmental issues.
Mr Gormley said: “We have fantastic potential here in terms of wind and wave energy and yet we have until now missed the boat. We need to change that by investing in research and development.”
He added that emissions in Ireland needed to return to the levels they reached in 2005, which will mean keeping temperature rises below two degrees by reducing emissions by 85 per cent by 2050.
Further aims of Eco-Unesco include to promote the protection and conservation of the environment and to develop young people through practical environmental projects.