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RenewableNI is calling for immediate action to establish Northern Ireland’s Just Transition Commission, a key element of the Climate Change Act.

RenewableNI, the voice of the renewable electricity industry, submitted its response this week to the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) consultation on the establishment of a Just Transition Commission as mandated by the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 (hereafter the Climate Change Act).

The response highlighted the need for the Just Transition Commission to be established as soon as possible and for a truly representative and diverse Commission with the necessary capability and capacity to provide effective oversight and advice to the whole of government.

Where additional expertise and insight are required, RenewableNI has encouraged the Minister to empower the Commission to proactively seek these resources and ensure that that Commission members are enabled to fulfil their advisory and oversight roles to the best of their abilities.

It is in this way we can ensure that Northern Ireland achieves its Just Transition objectives and reaches its net zero goal in a way that is fair, supports the economy and growth of jobs that are climate resilient and sustainable, and is balanced for all communities (particularly our large rural populations and the agriculture sector).

The year-long hiatus at Stormont has, unfortunately, delayed both the creation of the Commission and delivery of the Just Transition and the Just Transition objectives. Northern Ireland is on the backfoot. It is, therefore, vital that the enabling legislation for the Commission be progressed, and the body set up and operational before the summer recess.

RenewableNI sees it as a matter of urgent priority to expedite delivery of the Commission, as it is evidently a fundamental part of underlying mechanics and infrastructure to deliver the requirements of the Climate Change Act and the Just Transition.

Key points in the RenewableNI Just Transition Commission response included:

Delivery timelines

A critical aspect of the Commission’s oversight function would have been its assessment of how the policies and proposals within the upcoming Climate Action Plan deliver a just transition. However, the consultation states that the Just Transition Commission will, in fact, be unable to advise on the upcoming first Climate Action Plan, as it is unlikely to be established in time to provide this function to departments. Given that the Assembly has already had to approve the carbon budgets in the absence of the Commission, RenewableNI would strongly recommend that this should not be repeated when it comes to scrutiny of the Climate Action Plan. To act again without input from the Commission only serves to fundamentally undermines the status and weight given to the future oversight and advisory role that it will play.

Agriculture and rural communities

The Just Transition Commission will determine the nature and scale of the future Just Transition Fund for Agriculture. The UK’s Climate Change Committee has already highlighted that Northern Ireland’s disproportionately larger agriculture sector makes Net Zero much more challenging for us to achieve. This must be a matter of priority and progressed at pace.

The Climate Change Act defines the just transition principle in section 30(3) and sets out various objectives to fulfil it, one of which is “supporting the social and economic needs of people in rural areas.”  Those who live in rural communities must not be disproportionately adversely impacted by the energy transition, and issues around improved public transport routes and a wider electric vehicle charging infrastructure should be addressed.

Local authorities

Delivering a just transition in Northern Ireland will require co-ordinated action across both central and local government. It will not be sufficient to have the just transition principle embedded only in policymaking by government departments, this must be a key tenet of local authority decision making and policy formulation. RenewableNI would, therefore, like to see the Just Transition Commission make it a priority as to how they best involve all levels of our political structures in delivery of the just transition objectives.

Big picture thinking

The just transition must always be viewed holistically, and in a wider national and international context. Questions around procurement and supply chain transparency and sustainability will have just transition elements and these factors are also of importance for the future Commission to consider.

Funding

With the recent establishment of Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund, RenewableNI would suggest that the Commission make it a foremost priority to work with these bodies to understand what funding is available and ensure that the full value of any public monies for the just transition for all communities across Northern Ireland is realised and maximised.

Diverse membership and expertise

RenewableNI proposes that up to two members should represent the energy sector (given the wide range of technologies and stakeholders it includes), and that membership should include expertise from transport and building (two high priority areas where decarbonisation and issues pertaining to a Just Transition will arise, particularly relating to issues of fuel poverty), in addition to members drawn from the planning, green finance and ESG domains.

Delivering a truly just transition is a challenge of immense scale requiring an significant overhaul of many ways of doing business and operating in Northern Ireland. Private investment, and foreign direct investment will be key levers, and it is crucial that the Commission is conversant in these issues and the investment and economic challenges and opportunities that must be grappled with.