Northern Ireland commits to net-zero by 2050
The Bill passed the final legislative stage at the Assembly on Wednesday
Last updated 9th Mar 2022
The Assembly has passed climate change legislation that will commit Northern Ireland to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
A Bill tabled by Agriculture and Environment Minister Edwin Poots passed its final stage in the chamber on Wednesday and will now go forward for Royal Assent.
The legislation details an overall net-zero target for 2050 but there is a separate reduction target of 46% for methane emissions, which are largely associated with the agricultural sector.
The Climate Change (No 2) Bill was one of two making their way through the Assembly at the same time.
Green Party leader Clare Bailey had proposed an alternative Bill, but Mr Poots's Bill made it to the final stage of the legislative process first.
Addressing the Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Poots said: "Climate change is an issue that affects everyone in Northern Ireland and everyone on this planet.
"It requires people both at a global and local level to respond, and as politicians we have a duty to take action to ensure that our environmental footprint becomes less significant and that we produce a sustainable economic and environmental model where both can prosper going forward."
Ms Bailey detailed how her party and others amended Mr Poots' bill to make it "stronger than previously proposed."
"It is one of the most significant pieces of legislation that this Assembly has considered and it tackles the most important issue of our lifetimes," she said.