NORTHERN Ireland risks being excluded from a so-called 'green Brexit' because the absence of devolution means it has no voice in current discussions, a new study claims.
The research from Queen’s University found that while Brexit offers an opportunity to re-think environmental policy in the UK, it requires input from the devolved administrations.
"Tensions between devolved and central UK governments is making it much harder to deliver a green Brexit in time," said Queen's University's Dr Viviane Gravey.
"This is particularly detrimental here, as Northern Ireland has a history of relatively weak environmental governance and cross-border environmental challenges that it shares with Ireland."
Daithí McKay, spokesman for environmental umbrella group Nature Matters NI, said there had been a "clear gap in our environmental governance for many years".
He said the region needed an independent environmental protection agency and an environment commissioner.
"There is a very real risk that the lack of an executive at Stormont, coupled with little political focus on common UK frameworks for the environment will leave us with further policy divergence," he said.
"Continued cooperation for the environment on the island of Ireland, which is a single biogeographic unit, is also a major concern."
