Climate Change

Oral Answers to Questions — The Environment – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:45 pm on 18 December 2000.

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Photo of Carmel Hanna Carmel Hanna Social Democratic and Labour Party 3:45, 18 December 2000

7. asked the Minister of the Environment to detail the measures he has in place to raise public awareness of climate change.

(AQO 518/00)

Photo of Mr Sam Foster Mr Sam Foster UUP

I laid the United Kingdom climate change programme before the Assembly on 17 November. The draft programme had been the subject of two rounds of public consultation, first in November 1998 and then in March 2000. Copies of the March 2000 draft programme were distributed to Members, district councils and the industrial, business and voluntary sectors; they were also advertised in the local press.

One of the objectives of the consultation process and the subsequent publication of the programme was to raise awareness of climate change. The Department of the Environment is commissioning a scoping study for the implications of climate change in conjunction with the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER). The study will be followed by more detailed research to identify specific measures for raising public awareness. One of the study’s key aims is to consider the current and desirable levels of public awareness of climate change. The results of the study will be available by mid-2001 and the main findings will be publicised then.

Photo of Carmel Hanna Carmel Hanna Social Democratic and Labour Party

I have seen the consultation documents. Has a date been proposed to reconvene discussions on the implementation of the Kyoto protocol? If public awareness is not raised, politicians will not be lobbied to make people aware of the urgency of reconvening the discussion.

Photo of Mr Sam Foster Mr Sam Foster UUP

I am not aware of a particular date and I cannot fully answer the question but I shall give the Member a written reply.