The climate is changing – whether you believe in climate change or not; the Belfast telegraph recently noted that just 29% of unionist voters believe climate change is partly responsible for extreme weather. DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said his department knows the problem is serious and has already taken some action to fix it.
Various studies were published by Irish academics, ranging from a consideration of the potential for climate litigation after Storm Éowyn to a study from Queen’s University Belfast which warns FIFA about extreme temperatures expected during the 2026 World Cup, raising concerns over player safety and match scheduling and suggesing delaying game times or installing air conditioning in stadiums to mitigate the risk.
While climate change threatens the cocoa and coffee industries, with extreme weather events like droughts and floods impacting production in key regions like West Africa, Suki Tea Makers, a Belfast-based loose-leaf tea brand, has become Northern Ireland’s first B Corp-certified tea company, rewarded for its eco-friendly production facility, powered by renewable energy and solar panels, and its commitment to sustainable packaging.
Locally, delayed improvements to sewage treatment plants mean that pollution in causes sailors to fall ill from inhaling sea spray, the Belfast Newsletter reported.. Another infrastructure set-back is noted by the The Irish News in its report on how environmental concerns are among those cited by objectors to the A5 road development.
Among the more positive news stories in February was the intention of Belfast City Council to go ahead with a new urban forest in Bouy Park (The Irish News). Even if we note that Northern Ireland’s waste tonnage continues to rise (the equivalent weight of 22,500 buses collected in waste in just three months), we can be encouraged to see how a Belfast City Council roadshow may reach 4,000 pupils with a message about the impact of waste