‘We must avoid complacency’: Young people urge NI election candidates to prioritise green policies
Kirsty King
Two years after declaring a Climate Emergency, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed its first ever Climate Change Bill in March. While the bill, which will soon become law, has been welcomed by local climate activists and environmental campaigners, it is equally viewed as a mere first step in combatting the larger climate and ecological crises on our doorstep. Therefore, as the Assembly election on May 5 draws closer, young people are urging candidates in their constituencies to prioritise green policies, in order to build on the momentum of the recent bill.
Flavia Gouveia and Eimear Smith present The Eco Scoop podcast on Queen’s Radio. Flavia says “We must avoid complacency following the introduction of this new [climate] bill. With the current energy crisis, I will be looking for policies that deal with our dependency on, often foreign, fossil fuels to heat our homes. I would like to see commitments to support renewable home heating systems, through things like subsidies for ground heat pumps, as well as commitments to retrofit existing housing stocks so that they are as energy efficient as possible.” She continues, “We need to ensure that solutions to the current energy crisis don’t result in a doubling down on fossil fuels, so I would also like to see a moratorium on fracking in NI, something which was not dealt with by the climate bill.”
Flavia’s co-host Eimear also points out that currently “there are many attempts by external companies to begin or continue mining for minerals in Northern Ireland, as well as bids to frack and extract oil and gas. These could have horrific short and long-term health impacts on our current population, so commitments against this are key.” Eimear places importance on “protecting people on a lower and middle income from the rising cost of living. Climate measures should not affect these people disproportionately. It is crucial that policies such as taxes target the high emitters of emissions (e.g. the aviation and fossil fuel industries), rather than ordinary people.”
Jonathan Bell is a member of the Student Sustainability Team in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS) at Queen’s University Belfast. Jonathan wants to see candidates who are “passionate about achieving Northern Ireland's new net-zero carbon climate legislation, who prioritise a just transition to zero carbon that leaves no-one behind, and will continue to push for even more ambitious climate targets, for example a serious target for methane emission reduction.” Furthermore, he is looking for candidates who are “serious about tackling the biodiversity crisis” and who “understand the value nature brings to our society and economy, and who deliver ambitious targets to protect nature in Northern Ireland.”
Queen’s Ecological Management Masters student and environmental campaigner, Dakota Reid, also points to the importance of protecting nature. She says, “With Northern Ireland ranking 12th worst in the world for biodiversity loss, we need to act now.” She wants to see candidates “pledging to put real investment into nature-based solutions, which involves restoring or creating habitat like woodland, peatlands and kelp forests which will provide space for wildlife as well as storing carbon, therefore reducing NI’s emissions.” Dakota adds, “Candidates should also pledge to support binding targets in law for nature’s restoration and support 30% of land and sea being actively managed for nature by 2030.”
Climate activist Rosalind Skillen works for environmental charity Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and writes for the Belfast Telegraph. She notes that “Northern Ireland has one of the lowest percentages of natural habitat cover”, and therefore thinks it is critical “to ask candidates about how they will address the ecological crisis. How do they plan to reverse biodiversity loss? How will they create more spaces for nature? How will they prevent the decline and extinction of valuable species and wildlife?” Rosalind also points out that “although Northern Ireland has a climate bill with legally-binding emission targets, we currently have no independent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An EPA is integral to ambitious climate strategies, and we should ask potential candidates about how they will push this issue.”
For Queen’s Politics student and fellow climate activist, Jenny Steele, the policy area that is most important when it comes to the climate movement is education: “It is important that the next generation understand the importance of climate action and sustainability. I want to see candidates push for climate education within the curriculum. It should be compulsory, and teachers should be given the support they need to provide it.” Jenny concludes, “Changing Northern Ireland’s attitude towards the environment is essential to our future, and that starts in the classroom.”
There is no doubt that the climate and ecological crises are priority issues for young people as the Assembly election draws near. In the coming weeks, it will be worth taking time to consider the proposed green policies of candidates in our local constituencies. Now, more than ever before, it is vital to ensure votes are going to those committed to putting the safeguarding of the planet to the forefront, both for current and future generations.
Kirsty King is a deputy Culture editor for The Scoop and an English student at Queen’s University Belfast.