To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Lords Chamber
Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill
2nd reading - Tue 26 Mar 2024
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Mentions:
1: Lord Callanan (Con - Life peer) gas, and, secondly, that carbon emissions associated with UK gas are lower than imported liquefied natural - Speech Link
2: Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD - Life peer) experience in environmental protection. - Speech Link
3: Lord Moynihan (Con - Excepted Hereditary) substantially mitigating carbon emissions. - Speech Link
4: Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab - Life peer) The Bill talks about measuring carbon dioxide emissions, but it therefore focuses on production emissions - Speech Link


Westminster Hall
Heather Burning on Peatlands - Tue 23 Jan 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mentions:
1: Olivia Blake (Lab - Sheffield, Hallam) In the natural and rewetted state, peatlands have the potential to store carbon dioxide on a large scale - Speech Link
2: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) benefits, including cutting carbon emissions, optimising biodiversity, minimising wildlife hazards and - Speech Link
3: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) recognise the need to drive down air pollution and its impacts on human health and the environment. - Speech Link


Departmental Publication (Policy paper)
Department for Transport

Mar. 06 2024

Source Page: Appraisal of sustainability for National Networks National Policy Statement
Document: National Networks National Policy Statement appraisal of sustainability appendix 3 – assessment of consultation draft revised NNNPS (PDF)

Found: applicants to use a carbon assessment to drive down emissions at every stage of the proposed development


Scottish Government Publication (Consultation paper)
Energy and Climate Change Directorate
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate

Mar. 20 2024

Source Page: Draft Bioenergy Policy Statement
Document: Draft Bioenergy Policy Statement (webpage)

Found: potential to reduce emissions across our economy when used with carbon capture and storage technology


Commons Chamber
UK Trade: Aviation - Wed 01 May 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Henry Smith (Con - Crawley) sake of environmental protection, going faster and further than other countries precisely because of - Speech Link
2: Henry Smith (Con - Crawley) Indeed, the reduction in carbon emissions would be at least five times greater, not least because nearly - Speech Link


Grand Committee
Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill
Committee stage - Tue 23 Apr 2024
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Mentions:
1: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bshp - Bishops) carbon emissions on this, our single island planet home.The Bill as it stands puts at risk the marine - Speech Link
2: Lord Moynihan (Con - Excepted Hereditary) We must address sustainability concerns; we must address GHG emissions; and we must ensure the protection - Speech Link
3: Lord Callanan (Con - Life peer) This test looks at historical carbon dioxide emissions from the production and supply of natural gas - Speech Link


Departmental Publication (Open consultation)
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

May. 08 2024

Source Page: Fusion energy facilities: new National Policy Statement and proposals on siting
Document: Appraisal of Sustainability Scoping Report for EN-8: appendix A (PDF)

Found: Fusion energy facilities: new National Policy Statement and proposals on siting


Written Question
Methane: Pollution Control
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to help reduce methane emissions from (a) anthropogenic sources, (b) landfills and (c) fossil fuel production.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In the UK, overall greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector have decreased by 74% since 1990. This is mostly due to the implementation of methane recovery systems at UK landfill sites, increasing landfill methane capture rates, and reductions in the amount of biodegradable waste disposed of at landfill sites. In 2022, the waste sector accounted for 4.6% of total UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions, with landfill methane emissions responsible for 80% of the sector’s emissions.

We are committed to tackling these remaining emissions and are exploring options for the near elimination of municipal biodegradable waste being sent to landfill in England from 2028, in line with the commitment in the Net Zero Strategy. Under the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, set out within new s45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by the Environment Act 2021), all households, businesses and relevant non-domestic premises will be required to arrange for the collection of food waste for recycling or composting. Recycling via anaerobic digestion will produce biogas and significant carbon savings over sending food waste to landfill. To explore further measures to achieve our commitment we issued a call for evidence on 26 May 2023 to support detailed policy development. A summary of responses to this call for evidence and further information will be published in due course.

We are undertaking research to quantify site-specific methane emissions from landfill and update our understanding of residual (non-recyclable) waste composition. Both of these projects will support efforts to further reduce methane emissions from landfill sites and report our emissions in line with UNFCCC guidelines.

Defra considers that Methane Suppressing Feed Products (MSFPs) are an essential tool to decarbonise the agriculture sector. In England, our objective is to establish a mature market for these products, encourage uptake and mandate the use of MSFPs in appropriate cattle systems as soon as feasibly possible and no later than 2030. We are committed to working with farmers and industry to achieve this goal, and in early March convened the inaugural meeting of a Ministerial-led industry taskforce on MSFPs.

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR) provide wide-ranging powers to control emissions to air, water and land from regulated installations through permits. Methane is a pollutant under the EPR and, where relevant, industrial installations must comply with EPR permit conditions to control and monitor methane.

In the 2020 Energy White Paper, the Government committed to the World Bank’s ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ initiative which aims to eliminate routine flaring from oil production globally.

Through the North Sea Transition Deal and the industry’s subsequent Methane Action Plan, UK industry has committed further to accelerate compliance with the World Bank's initiative where possible, set a 50% methane reduction target by 2030 (against a 2018 baseline) and have adopted the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s methane intensity target of 0.2% by 2025.

Emissions associated with methane venting and flaring are accounted for in our binding domestic carbon budgets.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) already expects methane emissions to be as low as possible, and for all new developments to be developed on the basis of zero routine flaring and venting, (and to be either electrified or electrification-ready).

All platforms are expected to have zero routine flaring and venting from or before 2030.

The consenting process for flaring and venting is administered by the NSTA, which is working with industry to keep non-routine flaring and venting to a minimum.

The NSTA recently consulted on its draft OGA Plan, which included a section on flaring and venting. It is due to publish its response and the final OGA plan soon.


Deposited Papers

Jun. 11 2008

Source Page: Sustainable Operations Policy. 20 p.
Document: DEP2008-1499.pdf (PDF)

Found: Climate Change and Energy Carbon emissions from of˜ces 11.