EIP Consultation

Overview

Our environment affects every aspect of our existence. It is central to all life, what we do, what we eat, how we work, where we live and play, it is unquestionably our most precious asset. 

It is no exaggeration to say that never before have we faced such environmental challenges as those which confront us today. On a global scale our world is under unprecedented pressure from population growth, the impact of fossil fuels and unsustainable living. The impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, droughts and wildfires pose a real risk to our communities and livelihoods across the world. Locally, our environment is under threat from pollution in its many forms.

Action is required if we are to realistically respond to the challenges of climate change, the destruction of habitats, the loss of biodiversity and the impacts of pollution on land and at sea, including plastic pollution. Meeting and dealing with these challenges is something that can only be achieved through global cooperation in tandem with local, grass roots initiatives. We all have a responsibility in meeting these challenges and it is incumbent on all of us to protect and preserve our local environment as we strive to protect and preserve our planet for future generations.

Northern Ireland’s first Environment Strategy will form the basis for a coherent and effective set of interventions that can deliver real improvements in the quality of the environment and thereby: improve the health and well-being of all who live and work here; create opportunities to develop our economy; elevate Northern Ireland to an environmental leader; and enable us to play our part in protecting the global environment for many decades to come.

Why your views matter

The Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) is seeking views on the Draft Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland. The purpose of this consultation is to give you, the people who will be affected by the decisions taken in the future, an opportunity to express your views on the content of the Draft Environment Strategy. 

We look forward to receiving responses from all sectors, age groups, organisations and individuals. Some of these responses will be from experts in their field and while those will of course be welcomed, we are just as interested in opinions from all walks of life.  Every response will be carefully considered and fed into the policymaking process.

We also encourage responses to be kept as concise as possible.

What happens next

DAERA officials will analyse all of the responses received during the consultation and develop a comprehensive synopsis of these responses, which will be published in due course.

The synopsis will inform the final development stage of the Environment Strategy, which is due to be published in early 2022.