Question

To ask the President of COP26, if he will hold discussions with the President of COP27 on the potential climate impact of increased gas (a) exploration and (b) extraction in the North Sea.

The COP President meets with the COP27 President, Minister Shoukry, on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues from negotiations outcomes to energy security and demand, including the climate impact of oil and gas.

Energy security has had a raised profile this year due to Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We continue to discuss with our counterparts what is required domestically to meet both global energy demand and climate commitments.

The UK is a world leader in renewable energy, particularly offshore wind which is set to increase by 50GW of offshore wind power by 2030. This expansion is part of our British Energy Security Strategy, which sets out how the UK will become more self-sufficient and move away from our reliance on oil and gas imports.