NI Science Festival Climate Tour
Ciáran Ferrin
The first of the conversations of the Climate Tour, an event of the NI Science Festival hosted by Mark Lynas, took place at the Linen Hall Library on 20 February 2023.
The library, which contains a plethora of recorded historical documents which make Belfast what it is today, was a wonderful setting for a positive discussion about the continued sustainable development of our city.
Starting in Belfast, the Climate Tour then moved across Northern Ireland, with sessions in Downpatrick, Armagh, Magherafelt and Banbridge. The tour was a positive step toward bringing climate conversations to the less represented communities of NI, especially for those that are going to be significantly more affected by environmental-change events, such as weather patterns negatively affecting crop cycles.
From catching an array of insights and advice given by the expert panel, the audience discussions provided equally interesting ideas and addendums to the changing landscape of our society.
Some hard hitting topics that came up included the pedestrianisation of the streets, increased development of cycle lanes, promotion around active travel options, reduction of pollution from buildings, actionable steps, information and educational outreach programmes for rural and farming communities … and much more.
Let’s take a look at some of the guests’ insights:
Mark Lynas
Mark kicked us off and provided a smooth MC-ing throughout the night, providing informative distillations of the thoughts from the panel and audience alike. Having been born in Fiji, he tied concepts up nicely, re-enforced hopes and provided unique stories of relevant experiences that allowed conversations to flow naturally and in a very enjoyable manner.
Kate Nicholl
Originally from Zimbabwe, Kate has called Belfast home since she was only 12 years old. Her family was forced to leave as they were involved in anti-apartheid movements, and as tensions worsened, they came to Belfast. Kate gave some refreshingly positive perspectives that highlight some of the gaps in the Irish consciousness when it comes to enacting change. She was the previous Lord Mayor of Belfast and is now an Alliance member, running in her constituency of South Belfast.
Kate emphasised that our current efforts need to focus on “political bravery and action”. Both Kate and Debbie agreed heavily on commitments towards providing “some real room for rewilding.”
Debbie Caldwell
Belfast Climate Commissioner, Debbie Caldwell, gave some interesting takeaway points for the audience, stating that “buildings are some of our biggest emitters." These emissions are very preventable, with a range of cost-affordable measures that everyone could start using, which would immediately start reducing these emissions. From cooling to heating, this needs to be tackled now.
She noted that, “everything councils need to do is to work with central governments and communities." One can’t work without the other, and with the increasing polarity in our societies, these relationships are becoming a lot more fragile, during a time when they should be stronger than ever.
With the future of our cities in the spotlight, Debbie said "all investment for Electric Vehicles (EVs) come from Westminster, meaning the information is specific only for England, so there's that extra level of complexity that doesn't make these transitions easy." This followed thoughts that technology has a huge role to play in the just transition, but it is far from the reality of what should be done, and more focus should be around active travel options and resourceful thinking instead.
Dr Amanda Slevin
Dr Amanda Slevin, Director of Queen’s Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action, came in as a voice of action and motivation stating the importance of communities in the implementation of the legislation and solutions that we know work in providing sustainable alternatives.
She said, "communities are usually left behind when it comes to policy legislation ... what if we start with the communities and move up that way?"
This was paired with the powerful commitment that, "we [the Climate Coalition NI] decided to do something about it."
She finished off with a question to the crowd: "how do we then entail climate action ... while bringing everyone on with us?"
She concluded with a supporting, optimistic takeaway, stating that “building consultation means you have to go into the communities and talk to them that way.” This is a sentiment that ensures the inclusion of all people around NI, allowing them to adapt as smoothly as possible to the changing phenomena, whether that be laws, weather events or societal behaviours … it is at least a start to something we can all hopefully begin to agree with.
Ciarán Ferrin is a Science and Environment reporter for The Scoop. He has an MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development and is currently working as a support provider at Ulster University.