Debate contribution: Climate Change: Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 3 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Climate Change: Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4986056
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I was pleased to see that a range of climate change-related questions were included in the most recent life and times survey, which is well established. A clear majority of respondents view climate change as a serious threat, support international cooperation and political action to address it and want local politicians to do more to tackle climate change. I was also heartened to see that the majority of respondents felt a personal responsibility to play their part in reducing climate change. Those results are encouraging for the direction of travel that Northern Ireland is taking to address one of the most pressing challenges that we face. I share those concerns, and decisive action in that area is one of my key priorities. You will recall that the Assembly declared a climate emergency in 2020 — I made my maiden speech when we did that — and we passed the Climate Change Act 2022 unanimously at its Final Reading. Those were significant and welcome developments. My Department has been working at pace to implement many of the Act's requirements, including the introduction of climate reporting for public bodies; producing the first three carbon budgets; and taking forward work to establish a just transition commission. We have more to do, and I will continue to work with my Executive colleagues to do that.
221 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.49 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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