Speaking on UN World Environment Day, John Blair said: "This year's theme focuses on stopping plastic pollution. The threat and longevity of the threat posed by discarded plastic is so severe and is a timely reminder of the lingering and lasting damage to our hedgerows, rivers and oceans. This three-pronged damage of littering, pollutants and danger to aquatic life."
"This is why NI urgently needs ambitious and robust strategies on the environment and our biodiversity. The absence of a local minister and NI Executive has dangerously delayed progress on all of this. In addition, there needs to be focused action at every level of government to introduce a Green New Deal for each Council area. I am pleased that Alliance had these included in its recent Local government manifesto and has secured our highest proportion of councillors ever to get to work on delivering this. These localised actions, concentrating on the reduction of the use of plastics and a circular economy, need to be driven by and backed up by the functioning government in NI."