Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Edwin Poots has welcomed Assembly support of his proposed amendments to the Climate Change Bill.
“My amendment in relation to the methane emissions reduction goes some way to align once more with the science and evidence," he said.
"I am pleased that Members have finally realised the importance of that science, this is a win for common sense."
The proposed amendments put forward by Poots aimed to ensure that the agriculture sector in Northern Ireland would not be unfairly burdened as a part of the agreed net-zero target.
To do this, Poots wanted to ensure that the level of reductions in methane emissions will not be required to be more than 46% lower than the baseline year of 1990. Stormont accepted this amendment on Monday (February 28).
"The amendment clarifies that the net zero ambition of some Members will not require a level of methane emissions reduction of more than 46% by 2050, which is consistent with the advice from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Climate Change Committee's (CCC’s) Balanced Pathway recommendations and the ambition of the Paris Agreement to achieve long-term temperature goals," Poots explained.
"It will be very challenging, and it will require significant new policies and changes to current farming practices to ensure that we reduce our methane emissions."
Poots, as minister for agriculture and the environment, made clear that this amendment will not setback Northern Ireland back in meeting its climate targets.
“Let me be clear, my amendment does not limit ambition for the agriculture sector, or the ambition of Northern Ireland as a whole," he said.
"Instead makes it clear that we in the Assembly are not expecting the agriculture sector to close down as part of the net zero ambition, which was voted through at Consideration Stage, to which I have made my opposition to quite clear.
"Instead it will get the buy-in we need from our agriculture sector by clarifying they are to make a realistic, albeit very challenging, contribution to tackling climate change so we can protect our environment in a sustainable way, whilst ensuring we have a thriving agriculture sector.”
