Alliance Leader sets the ball rolling on local Climate Change Commission

2.14.00pm GMT Mon 10th Dec 2007

Alliance Party Leader David Ford MLA

Alliance Leader David Ford has launched a campaign to create a Northern Ireland Commission to address climate change. He said that there are targets to be met and Northern Ireland is lagging behind other parts of the UK on environmental protection. His call for the creation of the Commission came as the Assembly today agreed to inclusion in the Climate Change Bill.

David Ford MLA, who is a member of the Assembly Environment committee said: "Wales has a voluntary Climate Change Commission. I want to ensure Northern Ireland does not fall behind on this massive issue.

"We cannot afford not to have a group which focuses on helping us hit our climate change targets.

"Any group must involve not only MLAs, but also representatives from NGOs, local government and the business community. We need a joined-up approach that takes in all areas of society, as this will give us the best possible chance to tackle this problem.

"Such a voluntary group will cost very little to administer so there are no financial reasons against creating such a Commission.

"We need to get the green message out there even more than we already do. A Commission like this would get businesses and environmental pressure groups around the table. My call to the Executive is - Lets see some action, because talk is cheap."

ENDS