Linking the Irish Environment: Exploring the role of civil society in promoting cross-border environmental cooperation

Almost all environmental challenges facing the island of Ireland – and there are many – will ultimately require cooperation across the border. This has been recognised at government and policy level, and explicitly in the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (GF/BA) where the environment is identified as a key area for cooperation. Despite this, Northern Ireland and Ireland have developed (with some exceptions) almost completely segregated environmental governance structures, legal and policy frameworks, and implementation processes.

This article will reflect on the findings of the Linking the Irish Environment Report and explore the next practical steps to enhance existing initiatives and develop new modes of cooperation to deliver a better quality of environmental protection on the island of Ireland.

Date of Publication: December 2024