There is no point going into detail over the reasons why our politicians took the decision to vote through a net zero climate change act in 2022, except to say it might be different if the legislation was coming forward now.

Back then, much of the debate around NI climate targets coincided with COP26, which took place in Glasgow in early November 2021. Climate change was firmly on the agenda of the general public, creating a scramble among many politicians to lead the charge to net zero. However, in the period since, there is growing realisation of the cost of climate policies on society.

To be fair, we cannot ignore the issue and we need to find alternatives to fossil fuel. Also, there is no doubt net zero is a simple message for politicians to get across, especially when compared with the alternative, which was for NI to cut emissions by 82% by 2050 as part of UK net zero by that date. Simple messages tend to help win elections.

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But while politicians opted for simplicity, they actually voted through horrible legislation, infused with targets, buzzwords and confusing terminology.

It includes emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2040, as well as five-year carbon budgets, climate action plans, sectoral plans, a Just Transition fund for agriculture, a Just Transition Commission and a NI Climate Change Commissioner.

At present, DAERA is in the middle of a public consultation on a climate action plan to deliver on the carbon budget for the five years to 2027. Officials are also working on sectoral plans for agriculture. The consultation documents help show just how much detailed work has been done on the issue.

To deliver the necessary GHG reductions to 2027, the Department are relying on farmers responding to policy changes, cutting emissions by the likes of growing clover, finishing cattle earlier and feeding methane-suppressing feed additives.

However, when it comes to the policies that might be required to deliver targets for the next five years to 2032 – that is somewhere no-one seems to want go to.