How do we protect and enhance our environment for the next 100 years?
The first 100 years of Northern Ireland's history were dominated by the question of whether or not it had the right to exist.
Northern Ireland as a political entity has stood the test of time and those who employed violence in an attempt to tear it down have now tacitly accepted the principle of consent and Northern Ireland’s continued position in the United Kingdom. In our centennial year it is right to look beyond the traditional arguments concerning Northern Ireland and focus on our future and questions of global importance, namely, how do we protect and enhance our environment for the next 100 years?
It is not enough to simply protect our environment; I believe we all have a duty to enhance it. The state, our agriculture sector and private individuals need to consider how their actions today affect what we leave for future generations.
I propose that as a starting point that the Northern Ireland Assembly legislate for a statutory duty on public bodies to remove invasive species, such as giant hogweed, from their properties and encourage indigenous wildflowers in their place. This will provide a boost to bees and other pollinators. There are acres of undeveloped public land, owned by public bodies such as Invest NI that could be easily converted to meadows pending future developed. This could be combined with a restructuring of business rates, to encourage businesses to stay and grow within city and town centres as opposed to new out of town developments, this would maintain more of our green spaces and the vital role grasses have in reducing carbon.
The Ulster Unionist Party has committed to a long term scheme to large scale reforestation through tree planting initiatives. To mark our centenary we should plant one tree for every person in Northern Ireland, 1.8 million trees, to create six new woodland areas across Northern Ireland. Living through the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of wooded spaces to our mental and physical health. These new wooded spaces should be within cycling distance from our large population centres, so as many of our citizens as possible can benefit from them. In the process we can reinvest in our outdoor education centres, encouraging schools to take part in the planting of these trees and inspiring a love of our countryside in the next generation.
‘It is incumbent on our executive to develop a clear environmental strategy. This is a pressing issue which will require the cross-departmental action. This will require a level of maturity and common purpose which we have rarely seen from the Northern Ireland Executive. The politics of carve ups and sectional interests must be set aside’.
The response to a green initiative cannot be a call for an orange one. Our environmental strategy should include Northern Ireland specific climate change and environment acts, to address the growing list of environmental issues left unaddressed. These issues inclide:
- Up to twenty percent of our coastline is at risk of erosion, with no department responsible for protecting it, DEARA should take this responsibility; and
- Too many of those who poison our landscape through fuel laundering evade justice, a new enforcement model is urgently needed, the PSNI and NCA must take up a greater role in fighting climate crime.
We must also address the Northern Ireland Executive’s chronic record on climate protection and the resulting credibility deficit when handling these issues. Some Minister refuse to accept that a climate crisis exists. Others must address the legacy of their roles in supposed “green energy schemes” that encouraged people to waste energy with a resulting cost to the environment.
Farmers have a huge role to play in safeguarding our environment. Farmers are key stakeholders in our environmental future as they work intimately with our environment day in and day out. As Northern Ireland approaches a population of two million people it is increasingly difficult for farmers to produce high quality, environmentally friendly food at an acceptable profit. Sustainability must be built into the economics of our agriculture sector. Our aim must be that consumers pay a fair and reasonable price for food that is produced in an environmentally friendly manner. The UK’s exit from the European Union provides an opportunity for a new system of agricultural support which delivers this objective. Opportunities also exist to reduce the cost of administration and regulation that currently exist. This will encourage a younger generation of farmers to take up the reins.
The best way to ensure farmers protect and enhance their environment is ensuring that they see the benefits to their livestock and their business. Long-term sustainability should be the key to long-term profitability, so our regulations should ensure that this is the case for our farmers, they have to be able to make a living and not fear being undercut by those operating lower standards with less care for our environment.
We must also ensure that farmers are equipped to invest and adapt to changing tastes. Our food buying habits have changed beyond recognition in a short space of time. Local production is often unable to adapt at a sufficient pace owing to the need for investment in new production. The production of high quality and artisan produce should be encouraged and supported through agricultural support which will reduce the need for imports. This will ensure that our food is produced in line with our environmental standards and reduce the environmental impact of transport.
There's no doubt that new technologies to revolutionise farms and make them more productive will be required, so we need to be leading research and investment in those areas, and keeping our agricultural colleges up to date with the new, efficient and diverse methods of farming with more automation will allow them more time to better manage their farm and give them a better work life balance.
‘The responsibility to care for our environment does not solely rest on our government and the agriculture sector, we will all have to make changes to our habits and lifestyles to make a more positive contribution to our environment.’
We need to consider how and why we travel, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the viability of working remotely has been highlighted for many businesses. This will be further supported through the roll out of 5G and super-fast broadband. Remote working provides an opportunity to live close to home, shop local, stay in touch with our community and distribute wealth outside of the commuter towns that feed into Belfast. Cutting the daily commute has knock on effects on congestion and further reduces the levels of emissions from idling cars waiting in queues.
When we do travel we should be taking advantage of new technologies, battery capacity in EV vehicles are already within the range of most commuter’s needs. Developments in higher capacities and faster charging are being announced regularly. Further investment in the charging network will be required for larger scale adoption. Ebikes and escooters are also prime areas for rethinking how we travel, comfortably expanding the range which many people would be willing to cycle, and dramatically cutting the time needed to complete journeys.
Ultimately, I believe that everything we do today should benefit those who will come after us, that we should afford them the same or better opportunities to flourish as a society that we had. This principal underpins investment in our schools, hospitals and justice systems and I argue the same should apply to the environment.
The celebration of our centenary must be a forward-looking exercise. Whilst we look back with pride on our achievements, we must also consider our future and what we wish to achieve for our successors. When we celebrate Northern Ireland’s bi-centennial I hope that we can look back with pride on decisive measures to address climate change and enhance our environment for all the people of Northern Ireland.