Tuesday 12 April 2022

‘Republic and Northern Ireland must work together to battle climate change’

The Irish government and the Northern Ireland Executive need to work more closely to successfully mitigate climate change.

That’s according to the Irish National Economic and Social Council (NESC), which is calling on both countries to pull together for the benefit of the Irish island as a whole when it comes to climate action and biodiversity.

The NESC advises the Irish government, which commissioned this report to better understand the best means of tackling the climate crisis.

The report stresses that further investment in an all-island energy network is necessary for both the benefit of both nations but also to efficiently combat climate impacts.

Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin commented: “The Council has consulted widely and set out recommendations on how, as a government and through all-island partnerships, we can develop and deliver a new, positive agenda, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement.”

With respect for the Good Friday Agreement, which decided that Northern Ireland would remain a part of the UK, there is hope that a fruitful relationship can develop within the island.

NESC Director Larry O’Connell added: “We have sought to engage with all the main communities and traditions on the island on how to build consensus around a shared future, with a focus on actionable areas of co-operation.

“The work is underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement in all dimensions and recognises the benefit and potential of both North-South and East-West cooperation opportunities.”