In 2022, Northern Ireland passed its first climate legislation. The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (the Act) sets an ambitious target to reduce Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050. This means by 2050 that we must remove at least as many emissions from our atmosphere as we produce each year.
The Act requires us to prepare and publish a Climate Action Plan every five years.
This plan sets out policies and proposals to achieve reductions in emissions and the actions which will enable this to happen. The focus of this draft Climate Action Plan is on meeting the first carbon budget. A carbon budget sets a limit on the maximum amount of GHG emissions that can be produced over a five-year period. In December 2024, the Assembly agreed the first three carbon budgets, confirmed the 2030 target and set the 2040 target. Keeping emissions within the limit set for each carbon budget period is important as it will set us on the right pathway to meet 2030, 2040 and 2050 targets, in line with the requirements of the legislation.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has been leading the development of the draft Climate Action Plan on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive. The draft Climate Action Plan 2023-2027 has been published for a 16-week consultation and everyone is encouraged to respond. Your views matter.
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