Members of the assembly in Northern Ireland are set to debate a draft law that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without its own climate legislation, though it is contributing to wider UK reduction targets.
While the Climate Change (No.2) Bill sets a target of reducing emissions by 82% by 2050, arival bill from the Green Party has a target of net-zero emissions by 2045.
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But assembly members will vote on up to 80 amendments to the No.2 Bill, which include proposals to switch its target to net zero. The Climate Change (No.2) Bill has been brought by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots.
Recall that In 2020, the Committee on Climate Change, the government’s climate advisory body, suggested an 82% reduction by 2050 would be “an equitable contribution” for NI to the UK’s net-zero ambition.
It said the economic reliance on agriculture, Northern Ireland’s biggest emitting sector, would make it difficult to go further and faster without a significant reduction in agricultural output.
“The major issue for agriculture is methane – a greenhouse gas emitted by ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep, “the committee said.
Analysis commissioned by agri-food business groups also suggested that a net-zero strategy would have to mean a drastic reduction in the livestock sector.
