Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the UN Conference of Parties 24.
Answered by Lord Henley
The 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in Katowice, Poland, from 2-15 December. In the negotiations we succeeded in securing our main objectives by delivering an operational rulebook that would enable the historic Paris Agreement to be effectively implemented. Inevitably there is still work to be done, but the overall picture is of a rulebook that will drive genuine climate action, providing a common set of rules while allowing for flexibility and support for those countries that need it.
The UK was a strong voice recognising the seriousness of the latest climate science during COP. We played a central role in the progressive alliance of countries striving for a final outcome that coupled robust rules with a call for more ambitious climate action. We did this through supporting the High Ambition Coalition’s Stepping Up Climate Ambition statement and through regularly convening the Cartagena Dialogue of progressive countries.
Outside the negotiations, the UK had a visible presence in Katowice. We celebrated one year of the Powering Past Coal Alliance, 10 years since the passage of the Climate Change Act, and held over 50 events showcasing UK international support, domestic action and low carbon expertise at a UK ‘Green is Great’ Pavilion. We were also pleased to support Poland as COP Presidency with three political initiatives, co-developing their e-mobility declaration and supporting declarations on the importance of a just transition, and forests.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many dwellings in the UK have received (1) cavity wall, and (2) loft insulation since 2010; and how many applicable homes they estimate remain untreated.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published statistics provide information on insulation measures that have been delivered through the Government’s energy efficiency schemes.
Between January 2010 and September 2018 (the latest date for when data is available), there have been 2.4 million cavity wall insulation measures and 4.6 million loft insulation measures installed to homes across Great Britain.
We estimate that in Great Britain there are a further 5.3 million homes suitable for cavity wall insulation; of which 4.0 million are considered to be easy to treat; and 8.1 million homes have the potential for additional loft insulation; of which 5.8 million are considered to be easy to treat.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many homes in the UK have solar panels to generate electricity installed.
Answered by Lord Henley
At the end of September, we estimate there were 805,000 domestic solar PV installations1,2. A small proportion of homes may have more than one installation but it is not possible to identify these in the available data.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the private rented housing sector further to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is currently looking at policy options for setting a long-term trajectory for energy performance standards across the private rented sector, with the aim of as many private rented homes as possible being upgraded to EPC Band C by 2030, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We intend to consult on the trajectory and policy design in 2019.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to hosting the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in London.
Answered by Lord Henley
The next potential opportunity for the UK to host COP is the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2020. The UK is engaging with others to determine who is best placed to preside over COP26. Whoever takes on the COP26 Presidency in 2020 we will need to work with a wide range of partners to ensure it is a success and brings us closer to the long term goals of the Paris Agreement.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions over the past ten years relative to other major European economies.
Answered by Lord Henley
While EU Member States have all committed to taking action to reduce their emissions, the UK’s performance has been consistently strong over the past decade, reducing emissions faster than our closest European counterparts.
Furthermore, PwC’s independent Low Carbon Economy Index 2018 shows that since 2000, the UK has improved the carbon intensity of its economy faster than all other G20 countries.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration, if any, they have given to raising the ambition of the Climate Change Act 2008 targets to 100 per cent emission reductions by 2050.
Answered by Lord Henley
In October, just a week after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on 1.5 degrees, we commissioned advice from our independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, on the implications of the Paris Agreement for our long-term emissions reduction targets, including on the setting of a net zero target.
We expect to receive their response in spring 2019 and will consider their recommendations carefully.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Climate Change Act 2008 on efforts to decarbonise the UK economy.
Answered by Lord Henley
Since our world leading Climate Change Act became law in 2008, we have cut emissions by 29%, while growing the economy by 12%.
Under the Act, we have legislated for five carbon budgets which are amongst the most stringent targets in the world. We have met the first carbon budget, and are on track to meet the second and third. The Clean Growth Strategy, published in 2017, will help us meet our stretching future targets and build on the UK’s success in cutting emissions while creating wealth.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the performance of the Green Investment Group Ltd since its sale in 2017.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Green Investment Group (GIG) have recently reported on their progress in the year since the completion of their sale in August 2017. Over that year they have made or arranged £1.6bn of investments across of range of sectors including offshore and onshore wind, solar, and waste to energy.
In addition, they have launched new green infrastructure advisory services out of their London and Edinburgh offices to support the growth of the global green economy, and have expanded their operations to encompass Asia and North America.
They have also continued to engage proactively within the green investment community, such as publishing a comprehensive progress report in October 2018, holding or supporting a number of sectoral stakeholder events, and being a member of the Green Finance Institute’s Advisory Board.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what outcome they are seeking to achieve from the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention and Climate Change; and how they intend to take a leadership role in efforts to combat climate change internationally after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Henley
At the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UK is committed to bringing the Paris Agreement to life by agreeing a robust set of rules that will support its implementation, and to encourage ambitious action globally. As part of this, we will be supporting a Talanoa Dialogue that results in a firm commitment that all countries will review and update their Nationally Determined Contributions in light of discussions and latest science.
The UK’s deep commitment to tackling climate change will be unchanged by EU Exit. The UK will continue to be a leader on both domestic and international climate action, backed up by our strong domestic legislation and international climate finance commitments. Working with our European partners will remain very important and the UK will continue to engage strongly and proactively with multilateral groupings such as the G7, G20 and the Commonwealth. We have strong relationships with a broad range of Parties in the UNFCCC, including through progressive alliances such as the High Ambition Coalition and the Cartagena Dialogue. Furthermore, we continue to support others to implement the Paris Agreement. The UK will provide at least £5.8bn in climate finance from 2016-2020, providing support for adaptation, mitigation, technical assistance and capacity building.