To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what urgent steps his Department is taking to bring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland in line with the reduction of the rest of the UK.

Thank you for your question and the opportunity to outline the work currently being undertaken with urgency by my officials.

In light of the 2019 amendment to the UK Climate Change Act 2008, which introduced a UK Net Zero by 2050 target, I wrote to Lord Deben, the Chair of the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), the Statutory Advisors to Government on climate change, to seek their expert advice on what would be Northern Ireland’s fair and equitable contribution to UK Net Zero.

The CCC’s headline advice was that Northern Ireland, as its fair and equitable contribution to UK Net Zero by 2050, should be achieving at least an 82% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the 1990 baseline year. It is important to note this target of at least 82% emissions reductions does not show a lack of ambition for Northern Ireland.

The commitment in New Decade New Approach was to tackle climate change head on with a strategy to address the immediate and longer term impacts of climate disruption and to introduce legislation and targets for reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Climate Change Accord.

To drive forward action, my Department is developing policy options for future NI Climate Change legislation to set legally binding emissions reductions targets in Northern Ireland. Currently, I am engaged with my Executive colleagues seeking their agreement for my Northern Ireland Climate Change Bill Final Policy and agreement to formally engage the Office of Legislative Council to draft the Bill.

In June last year I announced that my Department would be leading on development of a Green Growth Strategy for Northern Ireland. The Strategy operates under the oversight of the Executive through an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), which I chair, and will require all Departments to work together collaboratively to deliver our objectives. The Strategy and associated Climate Action Plan will be our route map to climate action, green jobs and a clean environment. The Strategy will look out to 2050 and provide a pathway with sector-specific greenhouse gas emission targets. It will also set a pathway for a clean environment and green jobs. The Climate Action Plan will focus on the shorter term actions we must take across all sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland.

An initial Green Growth Strategy Framework has been drafted, with input from DAERA and other departments through the Strategic Oversight Group. I am conscious that you will have had sight of the draft Green Growth Strategy Framework, as it was recently shared with the AERA Committee members for their consideration. I am now considering the Strategy Framework in light of feedback received from the Committee. Once agreed, I will seek the Executive’s endorsement prior to publication.

Additionally, my Department is also leading on the development of a number of important areas of policy including a NI Peatlands Strategy, a NI Environment Strategy and ongoing programmes such as ‘Forests for Our Future’ which I launched in March 2020.

Finally, my officials and are I contributing to the UK Net Zero Strategy, due to be published later this year by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, through engaging with colleagues in UK Net Zero Groups.