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FOE Newsletter Issue 32 Northern Ireland NEWSLETTER Issue 32 Summer 2018 Northern Ireland's Northern Ireland Photo courtesy of Declan Allison/Friends of the Earth Catastrophic environmental Missed green regulation failure opportunites As its 20th anniversary passes, it Immodestly entitled ‘Sustainable would be a safe bet to conclude Development in the Countryside’, that the 71 per cent support in fact it allowed of a continued for the Belfast Agreement in pattern of dispersed rural housing, the subsequent referendum when genuine environmental Efforts to protect Northern The presence of an environmental the need for externalisation of would have been elevated to considerations should favour Ireland’s environment have protection agency operating at environmental regulation and 90 or 95 per cent among those compact urban and village been completely undermined by arms-length from government has continued to reject demands of a cosmopolitan, ecological settlement, associated with public spectacular regulatory failures is not necessarily a prerequisite for reform of environmental disposition—in sharp contrast to transport, walking, and cycling. and a system of environmental for effective environmental governance structures. Coupled those wedded to inward-looking governance wholly unfit to protection. However, many of with the political relegation of sectarian protagonism. Yet the The third, and most egregious, fulfil its purpose. While media the regulatory failures that have environmental concerns in the outworking of the agreement was the failure to establish an attention has focused on the occurred over the past 30 years face of issues associated with elevated the latter, as time went independent environmental particularly visible issue of waste have been attributed to this security, the economy, and now on, to untrammelled power. protection agency for the region. management, serious problems feature of Northern Ireland’s governance post-Brexit, the status As we know from the ‘Brexit’ with regulation span all areas of environmental governance quo has persisted. A DUP MLA once confided at campaign, populists have no wish the environment, including illegal arrangements. Stormont his concern that his that ‘experts’ should dislodge their quarrying and mineral extraction, Whether future decision-making colleagues would ‘trash’ the prejudices and, as environment planning, water pollution from Particularly problematic issues powers lie with a devolved place—and they did. We are all too minister, Arlene Foster of the DUP agriculture and sewage, and the have been the creation of government, direct rule ministers, aware of the consequences, of rejected the well-argued report protection of designated nature ‘poacher–gamekeeper’ scenarios or in some form of all island which three stand out. of an independent commission conservation sites. within environmental regulation, authority, there is an urgent need The first, and most obvious, was a on environmental governance, allegations of political interference to address this core governance failure to give any kind of priority arguing for just such an In addition, despite the Good in regulatory decision-making failure which cannot wait until to environmental issues during the independent agency, published in Friday Agreement’s express and inconsistent environmental Brexit is resolved. Continued two periods of post-agreement 2007 in the month after devolution provision for cross-border policy-making dependant on the denial of the inherent need for an devolution. Not only was this was restored. As Sharon Turner cooperation on environmental political allegiance of successive environmental regulator that can because of the dominance of and Ciara Brenna of Queen’s concerns, joined-up thinking and environment ministers. The result operate solely with environmental Orange and (the other kind of) School of Law demonstrated in collaboration on issues such as has been a complete collapse protection as its core mission Green politics, sustained by an acerbic analysis of the episode, illegal waste disposal remain in public confidence in the rather than to further other its own inertia well past the this perverse outcome came underdeveloped. Recent scandals environmental regulator, despite political objectives will serve decades of violent conflict like about even though serious issues including the discovery of one of valiant efforts on the part of its civil only to undermine public trust in a detached flywheel. It was also of water pollution in particular the biggest illegal dumps in Europe servant employees to improve the government. because, insofar as the parties were going unaddressed—and and the almost inconceivable delivery of regulation in practice. focused politically anywhere else, the Ulster Farmers’ Union was maladministration emerging It also demonstrates not only it was on economic growth, as the only social interest defending via witness testimony at the For over a decade environmental rejection of evidence based conventionally conceived. Hence the status quo, while the DUP did inquiry into the Renewable Heat NGOs in Northern Ireland have research, public opinion, and the it was only under the ‘democratic not even command an assembly Incentive scheme have thrust campaigned for reform of the findings of numerous external deficit’ of direct rule that in 2006 majority on the issue. environmental policy failures highly problematic governance scrutiny reports, but also an Northern Ireland’s first sustainable- into the public eye. However, to structures that exist in this alarming level of antipathy development strategy emerged, There is now growing recognition some extent these well-publicised jurisdiction. Investigations into towards environmental protection modestly entitled ‘First Steps in hindsight that the agreement incidents detract from the more systemic regulatory failure and effective environmental Towards Sustainability’. It went unwittingly embedded the insidious and alarming problem of undertaken by numerous public governance. Until meaningful back on the shelf when devolution sectarian mindsets and vetoes a growing crisis in environmental scrutiny bodies have concluded reform occurs, the consequences was restored the following year. which have proved the seeds of quality brought about by decades that wide ranging reform is of the regulatory dysfunction that its own destruction, of which the of failing and unaccountable required and that an independent has characterised environmental The second consequence ambition of reconciliation has been environmental regulation. environmental protection agency protection efforts to date have of the ascent to power in a victim. So too has the region’s would enhance the quality of been, and will continue to be, Northern Ireland of parties seen stressed environmental fabric. An issue considered central to the regulation delivered. Academic catastrophic for Northern Ireland’s elsewhere in Europe as now creation of a weakened approach analysis has agreed. environment, economy and constituting a major populist Robin Wilson is author of The to environmental regulation over ultimately for its fragile political threat was a taken-for-granted Northern Ireland Experience the last decade has been the Even within the Assembly there institutions. social conservatism perfectly of Conflict and Agreement: A failure of the devolved government has been widespread political expressed in the planning-policy Model for Export? (Manchester to establish an independent support for reform. However, Dr Ciara Brennan is Lecturer in statement PPS21, issued in 2010. University Press) environmental protection agency the DUP has disagreed with Law at Newcastle University. Friends of the Earth Local Groups 7 Donegall Street Place Belfast BT1 2FN Banbridge and Mourne Friends Tel: 028 9023 3488 Fax: 028 9024 7556 of the Earth Email: [email protected] Website: www.foe.co.uk/ni Bonnie Anley Tel: 07730 401331 James Orr Director Email: [email protected] Tel: 028 9023 3636 Email: [email protected] Craigavon Friends of the Earth Declan Allison Campaigner Maggie McDonald Tel: 028 9089 7591 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Niall Bakewell Activism Co-ordinator Queen’s University, Belfast Tel: 028 9089 7592 Email: [email protected] Freyja Bourke Email: [email protected] Colette Stewart Campaign Co-ordinator Tel: 028 9023 3488 Email: [email protected] University of Ulster Friends of the Earth Lynda Sullivan Office Co-ordinator Nicole Hempkin CONTACTS Tel: 028 9023 3488 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Photo courtesy of Northern Ireland Assembly of Northern Ireland courtesy Photo Editor: Declan Allison. Contributors: Ciara Brennan, Robin Wilson, Naomi Luhde-Thompson, Colette Stewart, Ciaran McClean, James Orr, Dean Blackwell, and Doris Noe. The views expressed are not necessarily those of Friends of the Earth. Designed by: Dogtag Creative. Printed on paper made from 100 per cent post-consumer waste. Friends of the Earth is a collective name for Friends of the Earth Trust, registered charity 281681, company number 1533942, and Friends of the Earth Limited, company number 1012357, both of which may use the above information. In both cases the registered office is at 26-28 Underwood Street, London N1 7JQ Tel: 020 7490 1555 Fax: 020 7490 0881 Email: [email protected] Website: www.foe.co.uk , company number 1012357 © Friends of the Earth 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means nor
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