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‘A key milestone for climate action in Northern Ireland’ is how the submission of a Climate Change Bill to the Northern Ireland Assembly has been described by the Climate Coalition Northern Ireland and MLAs. The Private Members Bill is being submitted to the Speaker’s Office today – three months after the Assembly passed a motion calling for the introduction of a Climate Change Act within that timeframe.

Supported by MLAs from across the political spectrum, the Climate Change Bill will provide a legislative basis for climate action in NI. The Bill sets a target for Northern Ireland to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 and includes the establishment of a Northern Ireland Climate Office. The Bill is co-sponsored by Sinn Féin, SDLP, Ulster Unionist Party, Alliance Party, Green Party, People Before Profit, and an Independent MLA .

The Bill is an outcome of in-depth consultation with legal experts , Climate Coalition NI members, and elected representatives, and responds to the groundswell of public opinion in favour of a Climate Change Act. The public’s demand for climate action is evident in declarations of climate and ecological emergencies by local and national governments, public demonstrations including protests and youth strikes, and opinion polls like RSPB’s recent survey in which 74% of respondents supported the introduction of a Climate Change Act for NI .

Climate Coalition NI Chair Dr Amanda Slevin (PCAN Policy Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast) said:

“As a cross party, cross-community initiative, the Climate Change Bill shows how much we can achieve when we work together. NI needs its own Climate Act, building on the commitment within ‘New Decade, New Approach’ to introduce legislation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Accord. The Bill will establish the necessary legislative basis for multi-level climate action and offers opportunities for a just transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future for Northern Ireland.”

Anurag Deb, the lawyer who led on drafting the Bill, emphasised:

“This Bill is the product of a lot of time, effort and discussion, but it is by no means the finished product. It is only the first step in securing effective climate change mitigation in Northern Ireland."

Clare Bailey MLA, who is Lead Sponsor of the Bill, said:

“The Bill will enable Northern Ireland to become climate resilient and to achieve an environmentally sustainable economy. These measures are much needed. Northern Ireland is falling behind on a raft of climate targets and indicators … We owe it to our citizens to make the just transition to a low carbon economy, leaving no one behind.”

James Orr, CCNI Member and Director of Friends of the Earth NI, played a key role in the evolution of the Bill:

“I salute the broad coalition of political support for the Bill. This Bill is a declaration of hope in the future, a future that young people and communities across the planet have been demanding for years. We will be scrutinising the Bill’s progress over the next year to give it the strength and ambition needed to tackle the global climate emergency. ”

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

For further information, please email CCNI@nienvironmentlink.org

As Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s Green Flag Awards Week 2020 [12-16 October] comes to a close, 78 of Northern Ireland’s best-managed parks and open spaces have been recognised with the international standard of excellence, the Green Flag Award.

Our sometimes overlooked and underappreciated greenspaces have been highlighted as havens for many during the current COVID 19 Pandemic. They play a central role in helping to support and link local communities; provide recreational space, safe zones to escape and decompress, and help individuals cope with depression, anxiety and stress, so vital for health and wellbeing.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful (KNIB), the environmental charity who operate the Green Flag Award Scheme in Northern Ireland, has witnessed a surge in successful participating locations since the initial three awarded sites in 2008.

KNIB Local Environmental Quality Manager, Jamie Miller said,

“This year more than ever we have seen the value our parks and green spaces offer to people in Northern Ireland. They play a hugely important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local communities. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful are therefore delighted that we are able to award the Green Flag Status to 78 parks and green spaces.”

To achieve the Green Flag award applicants must meet robust measures, which include a site management plan and evidence candidates comply with a range of strict criteria including horticultural standards, cleanliness, environmental management, biodiversity, community involvement and safety standards.

Judged annually by a volunteer panel of experts, who assess the management plans and the applicant sites through a rigorous judging process, the awards also recognise the great input of community-based ventures through the Green Flag Community Awards, where the sites are managed and maintained by loyal volunteers working at a local level.

However, without the ongoing hard work of the park managers, staff and volunteers from our local green spaces in Northern Ireland, none of this would be possible. From behind the scenes key workers from Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, share their lockdown lowdown on their on-going efforts to keep our local parks and green spaces safe and sound during the pandemic and beyond.

Leanne McShane (Parks Development Officer) and David Mayers (Parks Development Officer) Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council -

“As key workers we continued working through the last lockdown and were asked to help out in other areas such as refuse and waste across the Borough. Our recreational sites and parks closed initially, as our first priority is always the safety of our users. However, once reopened, we saw a significant increase in footfall with perhaps the biggest hurdle being our signage, as we had to ensure users were aware of new procedures.

We feel that lockdown brought with it then and will do once again now, a newfound respect and a greater appreciation of parks along with the ability to reconnect with nature. In particular, safe open spaces gives a sense of freedom for many who struggle with mental health issues, helping them to cope with life and pandemic challenges. Parks have become an essential service for mental as well as physical health and we continue to strive to maintain a high standard with restricted staff by introducing innovative design and planting.

Social distancing didn’t stop during the summer months as we ran our Get Active Outdoors Summer Programme with a diversity of activities, from serene Tai Chi to Baby and Mum and Green Gyms to Boot Camps. Everyone should make use of their local parks as they continue to offer a welcoming, safe and accessible place to meet or just be.”

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Kevin Savage commented:

“I’m absolutely delighted for our residents and staff that ten parks across our borough can proudly fly the prestigious Green Flag. Securing this remarkable recognition is a testament to our dedicated and diligent officers, parks and grounds maintenance staff who work tirelessly all year round to ensure these important places are well maintained, welcoming and safe.

“Our parks and green spaces play a vital role for the health and wellbeing of our residents, they provide a safe and open place for quiet reflection, exercising, recreational activities, reconnecting with nature as well as offering a sense of freedom. As a council we are committed to ensuring these beautiful natural assets remain safe, welcoming and accessible for everyone.”

Lindsay Houston (Principal Parks Officer) and Alison Diver (Growing Communities Officer) - Mid and East Antrim Council

“Our golf course at Whitehead, has been a huge success this year with more than 65% increase in memberships from last year. Lockdown certainly highlights what is important to people and it is clear that parks, open spaces and nature are high up on the priority list. It also became obvious to us that the parks and open spaces are a lifeline to many. While we are always very happy to see people using our open spaces, the current situation brings a new level of concern with regard to ensuring that sites are safe and people are using them appropriately. We have seen a massive increase in daily footfall in all the parks in the Borough.

Our allotment garden facilities has remained open through the pandemic. We’ve seen waiting lists for plots increase dramatically as more people have realised the benefits of growing your own for physical and mental health and wellbeing and for food security. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to expand our provision to accommodate the growing demand.

The downside has been increased litter and some damage to sites. While the vast majority of our visitors take good care and leave as they find, it would seem that there will always be an element with little regard for their local environment or responsibility for their actions.

Luckily we also have a great network of volunteers who have been busy on litter picks, planting, carrying out wildlife surveys and by walking sites regularly and reporting back any issues. As always, we’re very grateful to them all.

We were delighted to see nature thriving, especially during the initial lockdown, with an otter spotted along the River Bann and wildflowers all along the Coast Road and a rare sighting of a Holly Blue butterfly. Such wildlife sightings shouldn’t be unusual but unfortunately they are becoming more so.

We plan to significantly reduce our herbicide usage over the next few years for the benefit of both people and wildlife, and hope the public will accept that some areas will look a little wilder and learn from the emergence of wildlife when nature is given more of a chance to thrive.

We’ve also partnered with the Woodland Trust to plant 58,000 trees over the next five years, one for each household in the Borough. We planted just over 17,000 trees last winter and will do similar, if not more this year.

Overall, we are hopeful that people now realise the importance of nature and green space, not just during the pandemic, and will make a more concerted effort to do their bit for the environment and to support us doing the same.

With the current 4-week lockdown and continued concern, parks and open spaces continue to play a huge part in both physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing safe places for play, exercise and socialising – at a distance of course!“

To celebrate the announcement of the 2020 Green Flag Awards for Parks and Open Spaces, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful are running the #Parkyourthoughts creative writing competition.

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for schools, business and communities across Northern Ireland, and we know that many young people have also been impacted. For many of us lockdown has highlighted the importance of our Parks and Green Spaces, as they offered us a haven during a very difficult time. We have come to appreciate the role these spaces play in maintaining both our physical health and mental wellbeing.

The #Parkyourthoughts competition aims to celebrate the invaluable role of our green spaces during the pandemic, whilst also providing a platform and giving a voice to younger people in Northern Ireland who can often go unheard.

Entrants are simply required to submit a written piece (no more than 1000 words) which captures, explains or celebrates the role their local park or green space played for them during lockdown. Entries can be in the form of a poem, story, letter or other written media – all we ask is that they feature a local Green Space.

The competition is open to all school pupils in Northern Ireland, with a prize available to the primary and post primary pupil (along with their schools) who are selected as the winners.

#Parkyourthoughts competition prizes kindly donated by Gobbins Visitor Centre, Titanic Belfast and Mens' Sheds Antrim Castle Gardens.

Please see the terms and conditions for full competition details.

Terms and Conditions

1-The competition is open to all primary and post primary pupils in Northern Ireland. By entering this competition, you agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2-Parents, guardians or the pupil’s teacher must enter on behalf of all entrants and are required to approve the entry and agree to these terms.

3-Entry opens on 14th October 2020 and the closing date for the competition is noon on 13th November 2020 (closing date). Entries received after the closing date will not be considered.

4-To enter this competition, you must write a story, letter, poem or other written media which captures, explains or celebrates the role your local park or green space played for you during lockdown. Entries must be no more 1000 words long.

5-Entries are to be submitted via email to Jamie.miller@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org and must include the entrant’s name, age, school and the entrant’s parent, guardian or teachers contact details including their email address.

6-By entering this competition each entrant confirms that his/her entry is their wholly-owned creation.

7-All correctly completed entries will first be judged by the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful staff. The top 10 shortlisted entries will then be read and judged by the competitions sponsors. Judging decisions are final and the verdict cannot be appealed.

8-One winner will be selected from each of the primary and post-primary groups. A breakdown of the prizes is detailed below.

9-The competition will be judged within 28 days of the closing date (i.e. by 11th December 2020) and the parent, guardian or teacher of the winner will be notified by email.

10-Events may occur which render the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. Keep Northern Ireland beautiful may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend or suspend any of the prizes with or without notice.

11-Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful may disqualify any entrant whose entry does not comply with these terms and conditions or who, in Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s sole determination, has acted in a manner that is fraudulent, dishonest or unjust to other entrants

12-Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to the competition.

13-Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful reserves the rights to amend these terms and conditions or cancel this competition at any stage, if deemed necessary it its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.

Breakdown of prizes as follows: