Climate Change

Thursday 25th April 2013 Lords Chamber

Question

11:16

Asked by

[Baroness Worthington]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to ensure that the European Union adopts more ambitious climate change targets.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma)]

My Lords, the Government are committed to taking decisive action on climate change. Our electricity market reform is the biggest change to the UK electricity market since privatisation and is needed to ensure that we have a diverse range of energy supplies and achieve our emissions reduction targets. At EU level, the Government support current proposals to strengthen the EU emissions trading system and support the 2050 low-carbon road map, which sets out the cost-effective pathway to the EU’s objective of cutting emissions by 80% to 95% from 1990 levels by 2050.

[Baroness Worthington]

My Lords, Her Majesty’s Opposition strongly support the Government in seeking to increase the European Union’s ambition in tackling climate change. It is at that level that we need to make progress. We therefore note with regret that on 16 April, 20 UK Conservative MEPs rebelled against the government line and voted against a crucial proposal to lift the EU carbon price off the floor. Can the Minister comment on what measures are being taken to ensure that all of the Government act in support of a unified, EU-wide approach to tackling climate change and to prevent such rebellions taking place in the future?

[Baroness Verma]

My Lords, I join the noble Baroness in her great disappointment that this occurred. However, we are a democracy and are allowed to think for ourselves.

[Noble Lords]

Oh!

[Baroness Verma]

I might just sit down at this point. However, we also recognise that we need to make progress and we will support and engage very strongly with the EU to try to ensure that we get measures to reform the EU ETS. We are calling for a clear timetable for legislative proposals on structural reform to be put forward.

[Lord Lawson of Blaby]

My Lords, the Conservative MEPs are to be warmly commended. The Government have got this completely wrong and it is fortunate for them that the ETS has been killed. Will the Minister reconsider her Answer to the noble Baroness, Lady Worthington? Is she not aware that what the Opposition are calling for in this Question is a futile gesture, the only possible result of which would be higher energy costs, the loss of British business to countries such as the United States where energy costs are much lower, fewer jobs and an increase in fuel poverty? That is what they are advocating.

[Baroness Verma]

I know that my noble friend has some views on this but I cannot agree with many of them. The market for low-carbon goods and services is a growing one for the UK, so I do not buy into the argument that this is costing British business. We are increasingly able to offer renewable energies as part of a good mix of our energy supply, so that we become less dependent on international global price hikes. I urge my noble friend to look at the benefits of having a good energy mix. Part of that must be a good carbon floor price.

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

My Lords, where are we in the discussions on overall climate change targets for 2030, and to what extent will these include clear targets on renewables?

[Baroness Verma]

My Lords, the noble Lord of course knows that renewables will play a vital role in both the UK and the EU’s low-carbon energy mix. We will continue to ensure that that is the case after 2020. Our own electricity market reform proposals will provide strong support for renewable electricity generation, and at EU level we need to consider, within the proposed broader 2030 climate and energy framework, how best to support renewables and other low-carbon forms of energy.

[Lord Deben]

My Lords, did my noble friend notice that our noble friend who has just asked a question was not present at the launch of the Committee on Climate Change’s report on competitiveness, which showed clearly that electricity market reform and working towards a carbonless energy system do not diminish Britain’s competitiveness but indeed increase it? Would it not be helpful if my noble friend listened to the science and to what the Committee on Climate Change put forward?

[Baroness Verma]

My Lords, I could not have put it more eloquently.

[Baroness Parminter]

My Lords—

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford)]

My Lords, I am sorry, it should be the noble Lord, Lord Pearson. If we have some quick questions and answers, I hope that we will come back.

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch]

In that case, my Lords, when will the Government listen to the large and growing number of scientists who say that manmade climate change is so small as to be irrelevant? When will they be guided by measurement of what has happened instead of misguided modelling?

[Baroness Verma]

My Lords, we know that there is science out there that tells us climate change is taking place and we really need to take that science very seriously.

[Baroness Parminter]

Given the recent defeat of the backloading of the emissions trading scheme, will the Government now support a renewables target post-2020 as a proven way to secure investment and achieve climate change objectives?

[Baroness Verma]

My Lords, the Government are doing a lot towards ensuring that we achieve our renewables targets. Through the processes that we have engaged in, we are making a lot of progress.