THE annual Belfast International Homecoming returned for an hybrid conference with a climate theme this year following last year’s digital gathering.
 
What was billed as a ‘boutique conference’ saw 100 delegates gather in Titanic Belfast throughout the day for a series of panel discussions on sustainability across various sectors.
 
While the International Homecoming normally sees the Irish diaspora return to our shores, Covid meant that we were joined virtually by delegates from across the world.
 
If there was one concurrent theme running through the discussions it was that Stormont simply isn’t doing enough to tackle the climate crisis.

The first panel discussion was chaired by Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt and focused on shifting to sustainable tourism and events.
 
Mike was joined on the panel by Shona McCarthy, Director of the Edinburgh Fringe, Susan Picken, Director of Belfast Culture Night, John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism Ireland, and Maša Klemenčič, Project Manager, Research, Development, Innovation and EU Projects with the Slovenian Tourist Board.
 
Throughout the discussion, Maša Klemenčič talked of the benefits of Slovenia's Green Label and its role in promoting sustainable tourism while Shona McCarthy told the conference that it is so important for artists and performers to be able to travel but suggested that there is work to be done within the sector to make that travel more strategic.
 
John McGrillen told the conference of the challenges of integrated working between government departments and how that needs to improve to promote sustainable tourism. This issue of cross-departmental working would come up throughout the various discussions.

Adding to the discussion on sustainable tourism, Harry Connolly from Fáilte Feirste Thiar and Chris Armstrong, Tourism Development Manager at EastSide Partnership, gave a presentation on their connecting cities project.
 
Responding to discussions thus far for the diaspora, Shaun Kelly, Chair of KPMG in New York, joined the conference virtually and said that the challenges represented by the pandemic and climate change are exactly the same as they both involve the need to work together globally.
 
Shaun also told the conference that the Environmental, Social and Governance agenda is not only important for the global economy but that it gives a tremendous platform to increase relations between the island of Ireland and the US.
 
As Ulster University prepare to open their new Belfast Campus which will see the majority of courses transfer from Jordanstown to Belfast city centre, Professor Neil Hewitt, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies and Head of the Belfast School of Architecture and Built Environment at the university addressed the conference on how the new building has sustainability at its core.

Later in the afternoon, Professor Duncan Morrow, Director of Community Engagement at Ulster University chaired a break-out session on what can be done to encourage more active and sustainable travel to the new campus to prevent the surrounding streets and communities becoming car parks.
 
Prof. Morrow was joined by Andrew Grieve, Head of Active Travel at the Department for Infrastructure and Caroline Bloomfield, Director of Sustrans. The panel agreed that the most important aspect of promoting active travel within the city was to remove the subsidy in car parking and to see the implementation of the Belfast Cycle Network.
 
A delegate at the break-out session raised the point of Jordanstown being a commuter campus with many travelling in from rural areas by car. It was suggested that public transport infrastructure to the city could be improved to encourage more people to take the bus or train instead of relying on their car.
 
Perhaps the most interesting dabate of the day focused on legislating for a green future and was chaired by freelance journalist, Amanda Ferguson.

Amanda was joined by Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd, Planning and Environment Law Barrister at Francis Taylor Building Chambers in London, Conor Fegan, and Anurag Deb from KRW Law.
 
The panel looked at the differences between the legislation being proposed by Green Party Leader Clare Bailey MLA and Environment Minister Edwin Poots. John O’Dowd MLA told delegates that there is a realisation within the DUP that they need to bring forward climate legislation but the bill they have brought forward does not go far enough. When asked about the issue of carbon taxes, John O’Dowd said that there has to be a fair transition going forward so that low income families aren't penalised.
 
Among the other discussions on the day, delegates heard from Clare Guinness, Innovation District Director at Innovation City Belfast, Jerry Hallisey, Head of Business Development at Shannon Foynes Port Authority in Co. Limerick, Joe O’Neill, CEO of Belfast Harbour and Maria Bos, CEO of Plug, Norway on how we can unleash the potential of our ports.
 
When it came to the issue of green buildings, Debbie Caldwell, Climate Commissioner at Belfast City Council was joined by Patrick O’Gorman, Principal Bywater Properties, Professor Aoife Houlihan Wiberg from the School of Architecture at Ulster University and Grainia Long, CEO of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Ms Long told delegates that there is a huge amount of work ahead in the social housing sector to decarbonise their existing stock and develop new sustainable homes and that the NIHE that are retrofitting 1,900 homes over this year and next to reduce their carbon footprint. She added that buy-in from residents has been great and demand is growing.
 
Patrick O’Gorman added that it is up to developers to push towards net zero homes. He said that the key movement is the youth who are "so passionate" about climate and are pushing for change.
 
The final panel discussion was chaired by Tina McKenzie, Hon Counsul General of Finland in Belfast and CEO of Staffline Ireland.
 
Tina was joined by Marie Macklin, Founder of Halo, Kilmarnock, Assemblyman Mike Cusick Chairperson of the New York State Legislature Committee, Pekka Timonen, Mayor of Lahti, Finland which is the European Green Capital for 2021 and Cllr Ruairi Kelly.
 
The panel discussed how we can make our cities more sustainable, clean and green in the future.