Alliance spokesperson on the Environment, John Blair MLA, has welcomed news from the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, DAERA, that they have identified £4.3M towards tackling climate change.

Speaking after receiving the information at a meeting of the DAERA Assembly Committee John Blair said: “In a recent Assembly debate, members recognised that we are facing a climate emergency and action is needed on a number of fronts. At the DAERA Committee we were given details on funding of £4.3 million to help in the fight against climate change.

“This includes funding for additional staff to develop new climate change legislation, carry out a scoping study for the creation of an Independent Environmental Protection Agency and a survey on the risks to our coastline from climate change.

“In addition, £0.2 million has been identified to address the problem with marine plastic pollution, a critical issue that has come to public attention only in recent years.

“Across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, there are many community and voluntary groups working on environmental projects for the benefit of our planet. I am pleased to see that £1.1 million has been identified to fund Northern Ireland partners in a collaborative all island research hub in the area of agri-food and sustainability. I would hope the voluntary and community sector can get involved in this project to maximise the impact of the funding.

“The climate emergency impacts on everyone, and everyone has a part to play in fighting it. I welcome the £4.3 million identified for these projects, and hope it is a start to a sustained programme of funding.”