Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland
Response to
Environment Committee
Inquiry Into Climate Change

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland has been a registered charity involving all sections of the community for 25 years. We’re aiming for a better environment where people feel valued, included and involved. Every year Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland, which is part of BTCV, connects with 29,800 people who make positive differences to their local communities and their environments. BTCV is a unique international volunteering organisation providing the bridge between global environmental ideals and local reality in the UK and overseas.

1.2 Conservation Volunteers’ values are integral to all our work. They have been developed through two decades of a ‘hands-on’ approach to conservation activities. During this time we have adapted to meet the changing needs of communities, we care about people, the communities in which they live and the quality of their lifestyles and living environment.

1.3 Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland aims to create a better environment where people from all ages, abilities and cultures feel valued, included and involved. Our mission is to create a more sustainable future by inspiring people and improving places. This is achieved through the delivery of projects under four broad themes: Health, Environments for All, Direct Action and Biodiversity.

1.4 If you would like to discuss these comments further we would be delighted to do so, please contact

Robert Shearman
Senior Development Manager
Conservation Volunteers
Dendron Lodge, Bangor
Tel; 028 9185 2817
E-mail; r.shearman@btcv.org.uk
www.cvni.org.uk
Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland is a registered Charity 261009

2. Introduction

2.1 Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland welcomes the Environment Committee’s decision to conduct an Inquiry into Climate Change. The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response.

2.2 Our actions now and over the coming decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be difficult or impossible to reverse these changes. There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we take strong action now

2.3 If no action is taken to reduce emissions, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could reach double its pre-industrial level as early as 2035, virtually committing us to a global average temperature rise of over 2°C.

2.4 The Committee is right to focus its Inquiry at identifying how Northern Ireland can play its part in tackling climate change. The scientific and economic rationales for addressing human impact on climate change is well established and widely accepted.

2.5 Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland agree that it is most appropriate to avoid and reduce emissions through changing behaviour, and that carbon offsetting is a second best option, when it is not possible or easy to avoid and reduce emissions.

2.6 The people of Northern Ireland are asking for leadership from the Assembly. A survey conducted in 2008 by Sustainable Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Climate Change Impacts Programme revealed that, “92% of respondents were willing to make changes to their lifestyles, especially if encouraged to do so by strong government leadership.” The Committee should provide this leadership.

2.7 There is a great deal of expertise on climate change available in Northern Ireland and many groups are willing to play their part in facilitating moves towards a low carbon economy. The Committee should engage widely and openly.

2.8 Climate change will have significant social impacts on UK society, in particular physical & mental health, access to basic services (including water, shelter and food), education, employment and crime. As a result social deprivation will worsen.

2.9 Deprivation increases vulnerability to climate change and climate change increases deprivation.

2.10 People who are most likely to be most vulnerable are those who:- live in places at risk , are already deprived in terms of health, income, housing, mobility , lack awareness of the risk , do not have good support networks.

2.11 Conservation Volunteers already work with people who are considered to be most vulnerable to the effects of climate change .

2.12 Conservation Volunteers work to build the capacity of vulnerable communities will also contribute to building and maintaining communities which are resilient to climate change .

2.13 Conservation Volunteers work develops social networks, which are important in providing information, advice and support to those vulnerable to climate change .

2.14 Conservation Volunteers develops the confidence of individuals and communities to participate in the development and implementation of local adaptation response plans.

2.15 Conservation Volunteers want to show that seemingly insurmountable problems can be tackled by direct, positive action at a local level. To demonstrate that an individual sense of powerlessness can be overcome through collective action and common purpose and to deliver outcomes which are beneficial both for biodiversity and for local communities.

3. Response to Terms of Reference

A. To identify initial commitments for Northern Ireland that will ensure it plays a fair and proportionate role as part of the UK in meeting climate change targets.

3.1 Climate change must be addressed urgently at the local, regional, national and international levels.

3.2 The Assembly should ensure that its voice is heard at the national and international level. It should categorically state its support for an international climate change agreement to limit global warming to no more than 2° Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures (most scientists accept that ‘dangerous climate change’ is much more likely above this temperature increase).

3.3 The Executive and Assembly should urgently make commitments to introduce a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act with a legally binding regional target to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. This is the minimum requirement that will be necessary to play our part in the global attempt to avoid dangerous climate change.

3.4 Adaptation is intrinsically linked to mitigation, and it is essential that both be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Northern Ireland Assembly should introduce cross-departmental policies and measures which will allow people, infrastructure, biodiversity and natural systems to adapt to changing climatic conditions.

B. To consider the necessary actions and a route map for each significant sector in Northern Ireland (energy, transport, agriculture and land use, business, domestic, public sector etc)

3.5 The actions outlined in the Committee on Climate Change’s first report December 2008 do not go far enough to keep Northern Ireland on target to achieve its own 80% emissions reduction target. The Committee on Climate Change’s role in Northern Ireland should be enhanced to facilitate the setting of Northern Ireland specific budgets and action plans.

3.6 Each government department should investigate the opportunities and obstacles to carbon reductions within their competency areas. The Public Sector procurement budget should be targeted as a tool to deliver significant emissions reductions.

3.7 Conservation Volunteers propose efforts to mobilise mass public action on climate change. Our experience is that trees/woodland/greenspace projects have enormous public appeal, and we see these as offering:

• Direct beneficial carbon impacts (eg through carbon sequestration by growing trees)
• A route to active engagement with the general public - raising awareness, and, more importantly, changing behaviour through practical action
• A powerful educational experience, in which "learning by doing" becomes a catalyst for further positive environmental behaviour (eg recycling, reduced car use etc).

The evidence for changed behaviour has been demonstrated by recent research, showing, for example, that

"with an increase in connectedness to nature, there is an increase in environmental awareness and responsibility and also an increase in environmentally friendly practice",

and also that

"A volunteer who has a high connectedness to nature is also likely to have high environmental awareness and responsibility and is likely to be practicing a number of environmentally friendly practices".
("Evaluating the impact of environmental volunteering on behaviours and attitudes to the environment. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, March 2007).

C. To identify the costs associated with meeting these obligations and compare them with the costs that will be incurred if they are not achieved.

3.8 The Stern Review calculated that the dangers of unabated climate change would be equivalent to at least 5% of GDP each year. However, when more recent scientific evidence is included in the models, the Review estimates that the dangers could be equivalent to 20% of GDP or more. In contrast, the costs of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change can be limited to around 1% of global GDP each year. The central message is that reducing emissions today will make us better off in the future: one model predicts benefits of up to $2.5 trillion each year if the world shifts to a low carbon path.

3.9 The SNIFFER report on the impacts of climate change on Northern Ireland identified a number of direct effects, mostly negative, on human health, the economy, natural habitats and water resources, for example, the extent of flood risk to existing settlements remains un quantified compared with the situation in Great Britain.

3.10 Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride has said,

“Current predictions on climate change suggest greater long-term impacts on health than any current public health priority. To preserve health in a changing climate, we need to modify and strengthen the systems we have to adapt to the likely future impacts of global warming. We must tackle this issue on all fronts, reducing our contribution to the problem and responding to the effects of climate change is a shared international responsibility.”

D. To identify a formal cost effective mechanism for assessing the potential impact of new policies on climate change / CO 2 emissions. (Akin to Regulatory Impact Assessments/Rural Proofing)

3.11 Conservation Volunteers believes that long term plans, supported by a strong legislative framework, are the best way to promote efficiency and innovation in policy and technology design and thus the best mechanism to minimise costs.

F. To make recommendations for appropriate targets/actions that could be included in the new Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Implementation Plan.

3.12 Climate Change Adaptation Policy in the UK recognises the social justice implications but offers little in terms of action. More work is needed to ensure that adaptation responses involve, engage, empower and build the adaptive capacity of vulnerable people

3.13 In line with UK government adaptation programme principles, action should promote sustainable development, integrate social deprivation measures, be at a local and community level, work in partnership

3.14 The Committee on Climate Change Northern Ireland should provide greater emphasis on and support for community led adaptation, in particular

• Use community engagement techniques
• Integrate community engagement into planning
• Support the climate change work of NGOs who work directly with vulnerable people

3.15 Conservation Volunteers agree that carbon offsetting is not a ‘cure’ for climate change but it can help raise awareness and reduce the impact of our actions. Our ideal position would be that a regulatory system governing emissions reduction and trading schemes would sit alongside a wider campaign aimed at mobilising public opinion and changing behaviour. A code of best practice would "kite mark" both the mechanics of emissions control and organisations that can demonstrably shift public behaviour towards carbon reduction and offset.

F. To make recommendations on a public service agreement for the DOE Climate Change Unit’s commitments in the second Programme for Government that will ensure Northern Ireland will meet its climate change obligations.

3.16 The Executive and Assembly should urgently make commitments to introduce a Northern Ireland Climate Change Actwith a legally binding regional target to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. This is the minimum requirement that will be necessary to play our part in the global attempt to avoid dangerous climate change.

G. To consider what secondary legislation raising powers within the UK Climate Change Act would contribute to Northern Ireland’s commitment to the UK Climate Change Act.

3.17 The Executive and Assembly should urgently make commitments to introduce a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act with a legally binding regional target to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. This is the minimum requirement that will be necessary to play our part in the global attempt to avoid dangerous climate change.

H. To express views on if and how the Assembly might conduct more effective scrutiny of climate change responsibilities across all relevant departments.

3.18 To ensure we achieve an immediate and sustained decline in Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions the Executive should set an “intermediate” target for emissions in 2020, a series of legally binding 5 year “carbon budgets” and an annual carbon reduction target at an average of at least 3% per annum.

3.19 Conservation Volunteers recognise that the challenge of climate change encompasses environment, society and economy, and that a cross sectoral response is required. Conservation Volunteers is committed, using its front line experience of tackling climate change, to help shape the policy debate within the NI Assembly, with third sector and private partners. Next steps include:

• Report and promote: Monitor range and extent of behaviour changes among individuals and communities involved, evaluate against baseline behaviours and present to various audiences
• Consultation response and discussion papers: Submit response to consultations on climate change etc
• Forums: Continued involvement in Climate Change Coalition NI, feed into CCCNI to strengthen lobbing power to make changes at highest strategic level

I. To produce a report on the findings and recommendations of the inquiry by September 2009.

3.20 To ensure we achieve an immediate and sustained decline in Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions the Executive should set an “intermediate” target for emissions in 2020, a series of legally binding 5 year “carbon budgets” and an annual carbon reduction target at an average of at least 3% per annum.