SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan is bringing forward a Private Member’s Bill at Stormont to protect the environment.
The former Environment Minister’s legislation seeks to introduce binding targets on government bodies for air, water and soil quality and biodiversity.
A public consultation on the proposals in the Environment and Nature Restoration Bill has been launched.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The legislation we are bringing forward seeks to halt the environmental harm that has been caused to the North over the past few decades.
“Despite protestations to the contrary, successive Executives and AERA Ministers have failed to treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves.
“We were the last part of these islands to get climate legislation in place and we have seen our biodiversity destroyed, with many indigenous animals and plants at risk of extinction.
“The legislation also includes a duty for public authorities to actively conserve and enhance biodiversity and establish Nature Recovery Networks that seek to restore our natural environment.
“We are calling for DAERA to set both long-term and interim targets to protect our natural environment, covering water, land, air, marine and biodiversity which public authorities must meet.
“There will also be a set of environmental principles for all bodies to follow. Air quality is intrinsically linked to public health and the targets proposed will not only promote the preservation and restoration of the natural environment but also the protection public health through tackling air pollution which is at shockingly high levels in many parts of the North.
“These are issues that the SDLP has been highlighting for a number of years and time is running out for us to take action.
“We are lucky that this island is home to some of the most beautiful and breath-taking places anywhere in the world, but if we don’t act now and protect our environment for future generations then it could disappear before our eyes.”
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