From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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This morning, Minister Eamon Ryan TD opened a Shared Island Dialogue on "The Environment and Climate – Addressing Shared Challenges".
The event is the second of the Shared Island Dialogue series that was launched by the Taoiseach last October as part of the Government's Shared Island initiative. Working with the Northern Ireland Executive and the British Government to address shared strategic challenges, in ambitious and effective partnership, founded on the Good Friday Agreement is central to the Shared Island approach.
This second dialogue brings together more than 100 participants from across the island of Ireland joined in an online discussion involving civil society groups; business and agriculture representatives; academic and research experts; Local Authorities and State Agencies.
Minister Ryan commented:
"Environment and climate are unique policy areas by virtue of their global impact and require a global shared response if policies are to be effective. It follows that there is no greater and more common challenge we face as an island, than tackling the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis, with the urgency, resolve and solidarity it demands.
"There are already significant examples of environmental cooperation that we have developed on the island in recent years. For instance, on biodiversity, supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) has developed an online invasive species database that allows for sightings of invasive species, North or South, to be reported, providing a critically important monitoring and control function. This is the kind of broad-based collaboration - involving government, agencies, researchers, and civil society - that makes the difference."
Alongside PEACE PLUS, the Government announced our Shared Island Fund in Budget 2021, with €500 million in capital funding being made available over the next five years, ring-fenced for collaborative North/South investments, to be made in line with our Programme for Government commitments and priorities, including on environmental protection and sustainable development.
Today’s Dialogue provides an opportunity to share experience and suggestions on what works, what more could be done together and where we could learn from each other on the island - in government, in research, and in our economy and society - to protect our shared environment.
This dialogue is a forum that enables the Government to listen and take account of meaningful and effective shared island approaches across our climate, biodiversity and environmental policies, working in cooperation with the Executive and British Government.
ENDS
Panel 1 – Tackling the Climate emergency - a Shared Island perspective
Panel 2 – Addressing the Biodiversity crisis on the island
Panel 3 – Future priorities for all-island cooperation on Environment.
Content from the event will be posted on social media throughout the day by @merrionstreet and you can follow the discussion online using #SharedIsland.