Northern Ireland's first climate bill passes second stage

By Q Radio News

Northern Ireland's first climate bill has passed the second stage at the Assembly.

MLAs voted for it by a margin of 58 to 29 so the proposed legislation will proceed to detailed scrutiny.

But the bill is opposed by the Ulster Farmers’ Union:

Northern Ireland must move “fast and far” on tackling climate change, MLAs were warned as proposed legislation to slash emissions passed the Assembly hurdle.

Green Party NI leader Clare Bailey, who tabled the climate change laws, said time was “no longer on our side”.

“The legislation is long overdue,” Ms Bailey told the Assembly.

“Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK and Ireland with no legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets.

“We know that Northern Ireland has an unfortunate track record of poor performance on climate. Our emissions are not falling at anywhere the same rate as those in the rest of the UK.”

Northern Ireland must move “fast and far” on tackling climate change, MLAs were warned as proposed legislation to slash emissions passed the second stage in the Assembly.https://t.co/gPB5OUPoUZ

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) May 11, 2021

She added: “Time is no longer on our side. We need to move far, and we need to move fast. Climate mitigation will impact on all aspects of people’s lives.

(Claire Bailey presenting the Bill at Stormont last October)

The Bill, which also envisages setting up a Northern Ireland Climate Office, has been supported by Sinn Fein, the SDLP, UUP, Alliance Party, People Before Profit and a number of independent MLAs.

However, the DUP is opposed to the Bill, with the party’s Environment Minister Edwin Poots developing his own climate change legislation with less ambitious carbon targets.

During Monday’s Assembly debate, Mr Poots said he could not support Ms Bailey’s bill because he had “deep concerns” about it and believes it would be “seriously damaging”.

“I have developed policy proposals for a balanced and evidence-based climate change bill but I’ve not been able to discuss these at the Executive, despite the fact that I’ve been seeking to get them on the agenda since the 24th of March,” he said.

“Once these can be tabled at the Executive and agreement is secured to proceed, I can quickly move to introduce the right climate change legislation for Northern Ireland which delivers on the New Decade, New Approach commitments.”

He added the targets set in Ms Bailey’s bill were “far removed” from independent expert advice and evidence.

“A net zero by 2045 target would be extremely detrimental to our economy without actually reducing global greenhouse gas emissions but rather shift our emissions elsewhere,” he said.

Farmers’ representatives have warned that the targets set in Ms Bailey’s Bill would have a negative impact on their industry.

Her Bill was developed by the Climate Coalition NI, which is made up of a range of scientists, academics, lawyers and environmental organisations.

During Monday’s Assembly debate, the DUP’s William Irwin, who is also a farmer, claimed the bill to reduce carbon emissions could hurt the agri-food industry.

He told the assembly: “I must state that the threat to farming, food production and the economic stability of Northern Ireland could not be starker when the ramifications of the Bill are considered,” he said.

“Ms Bailey has managed to unite the agri-food sector, ordinary farmers and representative farming organisations against her Bill not because they have some fear or unwillingness to protect and enhance the environment — they already try to do that — but because such a Bill, if implemented, would do unimaginable harm to Northern Ireland’s food production.”

(crowds gather in Belfast calling for climate action in 2019)