Belfast's commitment to tackling climate change will be at the centre of two major all-Ireland events highlighting some of the work Belfast City Council and partners are doing as part of a citywide partnership to transitioning to an inclusive, low-carbon, climate resilient economy within a generation.

Belfast's Resilience Commissioner Grainia Long will speak alongside the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Edwin Poots at a British Irish Council virtual symposium on creating climate resilient infrastructure on Tuesday 20 October.

Belfast and Dublin have a longstanding working relationship built up over many years, primarily focused on issues relating to economic development and city growth. The topic that is being presented by Belfast is 'Designing Resilient Cities: Integrating Economic and Climate Strategies'.

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Belfast Lord Mayor, Alderman Frank McCoubrey said the ongoing pandemic had underscored the importance of marrying economic goals with climate objectives as part of the recovery journey, post-Covid19.

He added: "Since we declared a climate emergency last October, we have been taking a lead in the battle against climate change. I’m delighted that we will have the opportunity to highlight some of the important work we’re doing at these headline events, and hopefully we can inspire others and build momentum around the need for a collective response to addressing climate change.

"Belfast is taking a holistic and urgent approach to climate action by aligning its climate strategy with its economic strategy. We recognise the damage that climate change can do to our economy, but we also want to boost our economy by investing in climate resilient infrastructure such as green energy."

Cooperation Ireland is also hosting a series of climate change events in October. Belfast will be profiled at the event on Wednesday 21 October where the theme is Strategic Policy and Economic Context and Belfast. It will be tackling the issue of 'The Net Zero Carbon Roadmap for Belfast - From Global to Local'.