Ethnic Diversity and Environmental Leadership in Northern Ireland
Published on 1 June, 2025.
Society in Northern Ireland (NI) is becoming more ethnically diverse (Gray et al., 2023). After a long period of political instability, it is also beginning to seriously address its interlinked environmental challenges (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs [DAERA], 2024), most visible in the recent toxic algal blooms in Lough Neagh. However, ethnic diversity and environmental leadership have rarely been considered in tandem in NI. A policy roundtable organised by ARK in collaboration with ACSONI (African and Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland) aimed to do just that. This took place at ArtsEkta, Belfast, in March 2025. Participants at the roundtable mostly included minority ethnic representatives from a diverse range of stakeholders, mainly from civil society organisations. Participants were asked to consider the issue of ethnic diversity and the environment, focusing firstly on the Environmental Improvement Plan’s six strategic environmental outcomes (DAERA, 2024). Subsequent issues explored at the roundtable included ethnic diversity and the urban environment, especially via Belfast City Council’s (BCC) Segregation and the Environment report, and ethnic diversity and the environmental sector in NI, particularly the Change Begins With Us report (NI Environment Link [NIEL] and Community Relations Council [CRC], 2022)