CCC: 2050 net zero target in Northern Ireland at risk unless power is restored

Northern Ireland will not be able to hit its net zero targets unless power is restored soon, the Climate Change Committee has warned.

The CCC said progress cannot be made on the country's 2050 net zero target unless there is a new government in Stormont.

CCC chief Chris Stark said: “It’s hard, sadly, to point to many areas of progress. It is literally every corner of the economy that needs to respond to this target." 

He added: "We will need literally every single bit of the government and of the executive in Northern Ireland to respond. Without that, there’s really very little hope of getting on track with any of this.”

Stark continued: “I’m afraid I’m not of the view that these targets can just be presented as just high-ambition stretch targets and that it doesn’t matter if we don’t meet them – because they’re legal obligations. And I don’t want to see the law undermined in that way."

He concluded: “So, if net zero is the goal, this is the path you’ve got to follow. And it has very deep implications for society and particularly for agricultural production.”

In a response to the CCC warning, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said: “Daera has welcomed the publication of the CCC report, which clearly sets out the size and scale of the challenge that we are facing across a number of sectors including agriculture, land use, transport and buildings."

“This detailed advice from the CCC will be considered by all departments to help inform the best pathway for Northern Ireland. Daera is conscious that the civil service will not have all the answers to the challenges presented in the CCC advice. This detailed advice from the CCC will be considered by all departments.”