Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning communications Officer, RSPB NI
Féile an Phobail is Ireland’s biggest Community Arts Festival, and provides a programme of inclusive arts, cultural and community-based activities throughout the year. The August Féile is the highlight of the festival calendar, and it was RSPB NI’s first year taking part in the flagship event.
As part of Féile an Phobail festival, we hosted Nature Talks Back, a dynamic discussion event featuring experts from the fields of politics, environment, and community. As our event came just a few months after Northern Ireland passed its first ever Climate Change Act, this panel discussion allowed our audience to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the NI Assembly as politicians shape the first ever Climate Action Plan for Northern Ireland.
On the panel
The discussion was chaired by journalist, John Manley. He was joined on the panel by Kate Nicholl, MLA for South Belfast, John Gibbons, Campaigning Journalist, Emer Rafferty, Youth Activist and Chris Hazzard, MP for South Down.
With an energetic buzz in the air, the audience found their seats while John Manley kicked off the event, opening the stage with an interesting first question on targets.
Question 1 from Chair, John Manley
“The Irish government has recently agreed a Climate Action Plan and targets for its different sectors including Electricity, Transport and Agriculture. With the NI Assembly due to publish its Climate Action Plan next year, should we follow the example set in the Republic?”
Following the topic of emissions targets, John Gibbons stated that “after the financial crisis, all environmental targets were thrown in the skip in the Republic of Ireland.” John said, “I love targets, but they won’t be met.”
Chris Hazzard said he would like to see a citizen’s assembly on our food systems and farming. “We will not achieve what we need to achieve unless we do something drastic.”
Question 2 was from the audience
John Martin from RSPB NI stated how climate and biodiversity are two sides of the same coin. “It is vital that we act to reduce carbon emissions, without these actions impacting adversely on our wildlife. Northern Ireland is currently ranked the 12th worst for biodiversity loss out of 240 countries.” He asked what the panel thought of that.
Chris Hazzard said had he known what he knows now about biodiversity, “I would have run the Department for Infrastructure very differently.” He then stated, “Northern Ireland is the 12th worst region in the world for biodiversity loss, yet I have never heard a senior civil servant utter that fact.”
Emer Rafferty, a Youth Activist agreed, saying that “politicians have a massive role to play.”
All Party Assembly Group on Climate Change Chair, Kate Nicholl stated, “we are not acting with the urgency that is needed.” She says she’s interested in the language used when discussing the climate crisis and how best to bring the public on board.
Emer Rafferty who was a key youth voice for Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Bill campaign, made the point that “Hope needs to derive from actual action."
John Gibbons agreed, sharing the need to change the ‘loss narrative’ away from loss experienced by vested interests, and towards the loss that all of society faces. He stated that "Despair is a luxury we cannot afford."
With food and farming being one of the top three carbon emitters in Northern Ireland but also an industry with huge opportunities to restore and protect nature at scale, the topic soon turned to agriculture.
Kate Nicholl stated that, “Tackling agriculture is key in resolving the nature and climate emergency and a just transition is going to be central to that.” She added that “since having a child, nothing terrifies me more than the climate crisis.”
When the discussion was opened to the audience for questions and remarks, Stephanie McAvoy from Farming Carbon stated how agriculture has the potential to be the hero of climate crisis and not the villain. She said they are trying to change the conversation with work on their farm, working in conjunction with nature.
All speakers and much of the audience called for an all-encompassing, ambitious Climate Action Plan that tackles the challenges nature faces, head on.
The panel discussion has shown that while there was a groundswell of support for climate action, which delivered the Northern Ireland Climate Change Act, there is not the same level of momentum for tackling biodiversity loss.
Campaigning to halt wildlife decline is vital. As the climate crisis takes up the headlines, people are less aware of the nature crisis and how they are intrinsically linked. Biodiversity loss is a complex issue, with species and habitats facing different threats. The way we manage our land and seas, urbanisation, pollution, and pressure for resources from non-native species all influence nature’s ability to thrive.
The conclusion the panel came to was unanimous; government must use the creation and implementation of a Climate Action Plan as an opportunity to ambitiously tackle the climate crisis head on, protecting nature at its core.
Changing the way our currently damaging systems operate, we must invest in a greener future, from food and farming to renewable technologies. The panel all also agreed that while there is no single solution to the very serious problems faced by nature, there is hope.
Discussions such as this provide an opportunity to explore working together to tackle the nature and climate crisis. Together we can save nature.
If you are inserted in campaigning with RSPB NI, contact ni.campaigns@rspb.org.uk