There has been no agreement on new climate change legislation for NI, according to a Green Party spokesperson.

Representatives from DAERA and the Green Party have been involved in private talks over climate change legislation as two separate climate bills are currently making their way through Stormont.

A private members bill from Green Party MLA Clare Bailey aims for NI to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, whilst a bill from DAERA Minister Edwin Poots includes a target to cut emissions by at least 82% by 2050.

There has been no agreement and the talks are still happening

Last week, Minister Poots told MLAs that “the basis of a compromise” had been reached in the talks between DAERA and the Green Party.

“That is not our understanding. There has been no agreement and the talks are still happening. Our priority is still to get our bill passed,” a Green Party spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Several local politicians have called for the two bills to amalgamated, but how that can happen within the confines of the legislative process is not clear.