DAERA Minister Edwin Poots invests in schools climate change initiative

School pupils and community groups are set to join the fight against climate change thanks to a new project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Oct 2021, 14:19 BST
Pupils from Antrim Grammar School and St Benedict’s College, Randalstown, helped launch a new DAERA-funded Carbon Literacy project to help in the fight against climate change. (L-R) Scott Howes, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Environment Minister Edwin Poots, Education Minister Michelle McIlveen and Ian Humphrey, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland BeautifulPupils from Antrim Grammar School and St Benedict’s College, Randalstown, helped launch a new DAERA-funded Carbon Literacy project to help in the fight against climate change. (L-R) Scott Howes, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Environment Minister Edwin Poots, Education Minister Michelle McIlveen and Ian Humphrey, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful
Pupils from Antrim Grammar School and St Benedict’s College, Randalstown, helped launch a new DAERA-funded Carbon Literacy project to help in the fight against climate change. (L-R) Scott Howes, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Environment Minister Edwin Poots, Education Minister Michelle McIlveen and Ian Humphrey, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful

Launching the scheme ahead of the COP26 conference Environment Minister Edwin Poots said every generation needed to be educated to understand climate change, its causes, potential impacts and how to tackle it.

He said: “My department is investing in the ‘Carbon Literacy’ project to help educate this and future generations about the threat of climate change and the impact of their day-to-day behaviour has on our climate.

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“Delivered by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the project will help people improve their knowledge and understanding of carbon and how their daily activities like travel, energy use and food consumption impact on emissions. They can then better understand what positive changes they need to make in how they live, study and work, both as individuals and organisations, to help in the fight against climate change.

“Whilst we can develop policies supporting this environmental threat it is important that we also educate our children on how the decisions we make as individuals and a society can help.”

Dr Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, said: “This is great news for Northern Ireland and for our post primary students.

“It is very clear that demand for information, training and action is gaining pace as more young people take part in climate strikes around the world. This response is understandable given the lack of action on climate change, which is the biggest challenge they are likely to face as future decision makers, leaders, policy makers and consumers.”

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Related topics:Edwin PootsDAERACOP26Northern IrelandBen Lowry