Climate Change

The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (Act) sets a target of an at least 100% reduction in net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

Climate change legislation / policy

In order to complement the emissions data available from the historic greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and the Northern Ireland GHG projection tool, and to help Government track the effectiveness of their carbon reduction policies, a set of local carbon intensity indicators has been developed.

The Northern Ireland greenhouse gas projections update paper is updated annually and details the changes to the Northern Ireland greenhouse gas projection tool.

This statistical bulletin is updated annually and outlines key Northern Ireland figures from the Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The estimates are produced by Ricardo Energy & Environment and Aether on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

In spring 2014 the Northern Ireland Environment Agency launched an innovative programme of Prosperity Agreements. Prosperity Agreements are one of the key instruments of the new NIEA delivery framework.

In November 2018 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched the most up-to-date UK Climate Change Projections (UKCP18) which illustrates a range of future climate scenarios until 2100. The projections are based on the latest scientific findings and observations available from the Met Office and globally. The results set out a range of possible outcomes over the next century based on different rates of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere. Outcomes include anticipated changes to climate variables such as precipitation, temperature, wind speed and sea level rise.

In 2022, Northern Ireland passed its first climate legislation. The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 sets an ambitious target to reduce Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050. This means that we must remove at least as many emissions from our atmosphere as we produce.

The Climate Change (Reporting Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (‘the Regulations), which came into operation on 3rd May 2024, place reporting duties on 40 large-sized public bodies. The Regulations delivered on the first legislative requirement under section 42 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and require public bodies to report on their climate change actions through two key reports – mitigation and adaptation.

DAERA hosted and delivered a training event for public bodies on greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting on Wednesday 28th May 2025, at the CAFRE Greenmount Campus.

This page is to assist public bodies who are required to report under The Climate Change (Reporting Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024, and those who wish to voluntarily report.

It provides information on climate change mitigation reporting, including a link to DAERA's online reporting portal along with its associated guidance and other supporting documentation.

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