Debate contribution: Climate Change (Just Transition Commission) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on 27 April 2026.

MLA: Ms Aoife Finnegan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 27 April 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Climate Change (Just Transition Commission) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5508630

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the regulations. Sinn Féin has consistently called for a just transition commission and rightly so. We also need to be clear that it cannot simply be a well-intentioned idea that sounds good on paper. It must deliver real, tangible change for the people whom we represent. When we talk about a just transition, people rightly ask what that means for them, for their job and for their community. At its core, a just transition must be about fairness and equality so that it can protect workers, families and communities, particularly those in rural areas, who are all too often expected to shoulder the burden of change. Farmers, agri-food workers and those in transition and in haulage are the people who keep our economy moving, and they cannot be left to pay the price for climate action. If people feel that they are being penalised rather than supported, we will lose public confidence quickly. Without public buy-in, no climate strategy will succeed. The transition must be one that brings people with us and must certainly not leave them behind. That means investing in people; it means supporting skills and retraining; and it means ensuring that new opportunities, particularly in green industries, are accessible to working people and rural communities. There is real opportunity here, and, done properly, a just transition can mean good, secure jobs. It can mean revitalised local economies, and it can mean a fairer, more resilient society. For that to happen, the commission must have real substance; it cannot be advisory for the sake of it. It must have teeth; it must have influence; and it must be properly resourced to do its job effectively. Otherwise, there is a real risk of it becoming little more than a talking shop, and that is not what is needed at this critical moment.
Representation will be key, and I was glad to hear the Minister mention that in his remarks. We need to have voices from across society around the table: workers; trade unions; rural communities; young people; and those already experiencing the impacts of climate change. A just transition cannot be designed in isolation. Rather, it must be shaped by those whom it affects most.
From our perspective, there is a clear all-Ireland dimension involved. Climate change does not recognise borders. We therefore cannot operate in silos. There must be alignment and coordination across the island if we are serious about delivering meaningful climate action. Already, we can look to examples in the Twenty-six Counties and in Scotland of where steps have been taken to embed just transition principles in policy. There is learning to be had from there, and we should be building on it. We support the draft regulations, but support must come with ambition. We have an opportunity not just to respond to climate change but to reshape our economy in a way that is fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable. We have an opportunity to protect livelihoods, create jobs and ensure that no community is left behind. That is what just transition must mean in practice.

520 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Awaiting analysis

This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification