Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Department has to prioritise the role of agroecological farming systems including agroforestry in future farming and environmental payments.
Answered by George Eustice
Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions, while supporting our rural economy. Land managers will be paid for delivering the following public goods set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan: clean air; clean and plentiful water; thriving plants and wildlife; protection from and mitigation of environmental hazards; beauty, heritage and engagement; mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. To the extent that agroecological farming systems enable the supply of such environmental benefits, they will be able to underpin multi-annual ELM agreements and the resulting payment stream.
Asked by: Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the protection and restoration of peat moss in achieving net carbon neutrality for the UK.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Recently published Government research identified that the emissions from UK peatlands range from 18.5 to 23 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. Peatland restoration is therefore a key way to mitigate emissions and will play an important role in achieving net carbon neutrality in the UK. We will publish an England Peat Strategy later this year which will set out our approach to protecting and restoring peat.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 is taking to ensure that the UK’s carbon footprint is not exported to countries with weaker targets in place.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government publishes annual estimates of the UK’s carbon footprint on a consumption basis. The latest statistics were published on 11 April and show the footprint for years 1997 to 2016: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uks-carbon-footprint. Carbon footprint measured in this way refers to emissions that are associated with the consumption spending of UK residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise along the supply chain, and those which are directly generated by UK households through private motoring etc. These emissions are often referred to as ‘consumption emissions’ to distinguish them from estimates relating to the emissions ‘produced’ within a country’s territory or economic sphere.
As stated in the Resources and Waste Strategy, the Government’s goal is to maximise the value of the resources we use, minimise the waste we create, cut emissions and help create a cleaner, greener, healthier planet. In the Strategy we have committed to measures that will improve resource efficiency, prevent waste and cut carbon consumption emissions.
Climate change is a global challenge. The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while creating wealth. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds. We have met our first two Carbon Budgets and are on track to meet the third. In addition, our consumption emissions are falling. Greenhouse gas emissions on a consumption basis fell by 6% between 2015 and 2016; and by 21% between 2007 and 2016.
UK International Climate Finance (ICF) plays a crucial role in addressing this global challenge. Three government Departments (DFID, BEIS and Defra) have responsibility for investing the UK’s £5.8bn of ICF between 2016 and 2021. These investments aim to support international poverty eradication now and in the future, by helping developing countries to manage risk, adapt to and build resilience to the impacts of climate change; promoting low carbon development at scale; and supporting sustainable management of natural resources and reducing deforestation. Between 2011/12 and 2017/18, it is estimated that ICF programmes have reduced or avoided 10.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (tCO2e).
Energy and trade intensive businesses create particular challenges, where ambitious climate change targets could risk carbon leakage. As the Clean Growth Strategy sets out, we remain committed to carbon pricing as an emissions reduction tool whilst ensuring energy and trade intensive businesses are appropriately protected from any detrimental impacts on competitiveness.
During Phase IV negotiations on the EU Emissions Trading System the UK supported the provision of free allocation as a precaution against the risk of carbon leakage; as the UK leaves the EU our preferred position is to have a UK ETS that is linked to the EU ETS and in that scenario, as set-out in our recent consultation on the future of carbon pricing, we propose to continue the provision of free allocation to industry to help ensure a smooth transition and continued protection against carbon leakage.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
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 is taking to minimise deforestation (a) in the UK and (b) abroad.
Answered by David Rutley
As forestry is a devolved matter this answer relates to England only.
The Forestry Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations afford woodlands protection from inappropriate felling and land use change.
The Government is committed to accelerating new woodland planting and has a number of manifesto commitments to support afforestation in England, including the planting of 11 million trees and a further one million trees in our towns and cities by 2022.
The Government also has a number of schemes to support afforestation including the Woodland Creation Grant under Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund, and the Woodland Creation Planning Grant.
In January the Prime Minister announced through the 25 Year Environment Plan the support of the new Northern Forest, which will see 50 million trees planted by 2042.
The 25 Year Environment Plan also outlines our commitment to supporting and protecting the world’s forests, supporting sustainable agriculture and enhancing sustainability and supporting zero-deforestation supply chains.
The UK Government endorses the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims to end natural forest loss by 2030, and is a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. Alongside Germany and Norway, we have pledged $5 billion to support countries that are reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Through International Climate Finance, Defra has committed £210m in projects and programmes that aim to protect the world’s most biodiverse forests, for example in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zambia and Madagascar.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the members of the Government’s official delegations were at all meetings of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee since May 2015.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Since May 2015 there have been four meetings of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee. The United Kingdom was represented at all of these meetings by:
Head of Delegation
Miss Katy Ware, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to IMO, Head, International Maritime Coordination, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
Advisers
Mr. Bennett Ng, Environmental Policy Specialist, MCA
Mr. Jonathan Simpson, Head, Environmental Policy, MCA
Mr. Kevin Hunter, International Relations Manager (Technical), MCA
Mrs. Leanne Page, Policy Adviser, MCA
Ms. Lorraine Weller, Senior Policy Adviser, MCA
Dr. Zabi Bazari, Managing Director, Energy and Emissions Solutions
In addition, the following delegates represented the UK at these meetings:
MEPC 68 – 11 to 15 May 2015
Advisers
Ms. Claire McAllister, Assistant Director, Maritime Safety and Environment Division, DfT
Mr. Godfrey Souter, Head, Climate Change and Environment, DfT
Mr. Ian Timpson, Senior Policy Adviser, Ship Emissions and Recycling, DfT
Mr. Tony Cunningham, Policy Adviser, Climate Change, DfT
Mr. Ben Rattenbury, Senior Policy Adviser, Department of Energy and Climate Change
Ms. Victoria Volossov, Policy Adviser, Department of Energy and Climate Change
Mr. David MacRae, Marine Surveyor, MCA
Mr. Bjorn Emtage, Assistant Policy Adviser, MCA
Mr. Ronald Allen, Policy Lead, Stability, MCA
Mr. Paul Grace, Technical Policy Lead, IOM Ship Registry, Department of Economic Development, Government of the Isle of Man
Mr. Motonobu Tsuchiya, Principal Specialist for IMO/IACS, External Affairs, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Mr. Dimitris Argyros, Environmental Specialist, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Mr. John Bradshaw, Principal Specialist, Engineering, Marine Technology and
Engineering Systems, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Mr. Jonathan Morley, Technical Lead, MARPOL, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Ms. Katharine Palmer, Manager, Environment and Sustainability, Lloyd's Register EMEA
MEPC 69 - 18 to 22 April 2016
Advisers
Ms. Lola Fadina, Assistant Director, Maritime Safety and Environment Division,
DfT
Ms. Laura Marquis, Head of Climate Change and Environment, DfT
Mr. Tony Cunningham, Policy Adviser, Climate Change, DfT
Mr. Edward Donaldson-Balan, Policy Adviser, International Aviation and Climate Change, DfT
Ms. Melanie Pennant, Senior Lawyer, DfT
Mr. Robert Cheeseman, Legal Officer, DfT
Mr. Neil Beauchamp, Policy Adviser, International Negotations, Climate Diplomacy Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Mr. Paul Grace, Technical Policy Lead, IOM Ship Registry
Mr. Martyn Oates, Policy and Research Officer, IOM Ship Registry
Mr. David Balston, Director, Safety and Environment, UK Chamber of Shipping
Ms. Anna Ziou, Policy Assistant, UK Chamber of Shipping
Mr. Motonobu Tsuchiya, Principal Specialist for IMO/IACS, External Affairs, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Ms. Yue Yao, Principal Specialist and Statutory Section Leader, Shanghai Technical Support Office, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Ms. Christiana Ntouni, Specialist, External Affairs, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Dr. Wei Chen, Head of Research and Development, Hamworthy Water Systems
Mr. Ian Timpson, Senior Policy Adviser, Ship Emissions and Recycling, DfT
Mr. David MacRae, Marine Surveyor, MCA
Mr. Andy Wibroe, Policy Lead-Marine Equipment Directive, MCA
MEPC 70 – 24 to 28 October 2016
Advisers
Ms. Claire McAllister, Assistant Director, Maritime Safety and Environment Division (MSE), DfT
Ms. Laura Marquis, Head, Climate Change and Environment, DfT
Mr. Ian Timpson, Senior Policy Adviser, Ship Emissions and Recycling, DfT
Ms. Stavroulla Economou, Policy Adviser, Maritime Climate Change, DfT
Ms. Kim Brown, Senior Environmental Inspector, Defence Safety and Environment Authority - Defence Maritime Regulator, Ministry of Defence
Ms. Samantha Langford-Holt, Marine Environmental Protection Officer, Ministry of Defence
Ms. Lindsey Hibberd, Senior Policy Manager, Global Carbon Markets, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Ms. Anna Croos, Engagement Adviser, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Mr. James Luetchford, Parliamentary and Ministerial Relations, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mrs. Rebecca Austin, Deputy Receiver of Wreck, MCA
Mr. David Balston, Director, Safety and Environment, UK Chamber of Shipping
Ms. Anna Ziou, Policy Assistant, UK Chamber of Shipping
Ms. Yue Yao, Principal Specialist in Charge, Statutory Section, Shanghai Technical Support Office, Lloyd’s Register Asia
Dr. Nagaraja Reddy Devalapalli, Principal Specialist, Strategic Research, Lloyd’s Register EMEA
Dr. Wei Chen, Head, Research and Development, Hamworthy Water Systems
MEPC 71 – 3 to 7 July 2017
Advisers
Ms. Claire McAllister, Assistant Director, Maritime Safety and Environment Division, DfT
Ms. Katie Carleton, Head, Climate Change and Environment, DfT
Ms. Stavroulla Economou, Policy Adviser, Maritime Climate Change, DfT
Ms. Hannah Gray, Legal Officer, DfT
Mr. Gwilym Stone, IMO and EU Lead, MCA
Mr. Stuart Hannam, Principal, EU and International Standards, MCA
Mr. Yue Yao, Principal Specialist in Charge, Statutory Section, Lloyd’s Register Asia
Ms. Anna Ziou, Policy Director, UK Chamber of Shipping
Mr. Wu Shilel, Senior Emissions Specialist, Engineering Systems, Lloyd's Register EMEA
Mr. Ralph Bunch, Policy Adviser, Environment Strategy, Department for Transport (DfT)
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on promoting (a) a sulphur limit and (b) decarbonisation measures through the International Maritime Organisation.
Answered by John Hayes
Department for Transport officials continue to work with their European and international counterparts on both matters.
Ships operating in an emission control area (ECA) – such as the North Sea (including the English Channel) and Baltic Sea – are already subject to a 0.1 per cent sulphur limit. The next sulphur limit to affect shipping will be the 0.5 per cent global cap for ships when operating outside an ECA. The limit will apply in 2020, subject to the outcome of IMO’s review of fuel availability, which could see its application deferred until 2025. The review’s findings will be considered at the next session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which takes place in October 2016.
Regarding measures to reduce carbon emissions from ships, we expect a global data collection system on fuel consumption from ships to be adopted at the upcoming MEPC meeting. This is the first step in a process considering further technical and operational measures to enhance the energy efficiency of shipping. Officials will also play an active role in the Working Group at the same meeting to discuss how international shipping can play its part in delivering the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work his Department is carrying out in advance of the International Maritime Organisation's 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee to ensure a collective agreement on (a) fair share and (b) other possible measures needed to reduce carbon emissions.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
With greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping expected to grow as others sectors act to reduce theirs, the UK Government is clear that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) must take further steps to reduce emissions and improve the energy efficiency of ships.
At the 69th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, there was broad support from Member States and industry for proposals to define international shipping’s fair share of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UK strongly supports the establishing of a Working Group at the 70th session of the Committee (MEPC70) to discuss how the Organization should take this work forward and will play an active part in this group.
Department for Transport officials are continuing to engage with international partners to consider how these proposals can be taken forward in the IMO and to ensure that international shipping plays its part in working towards the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Regarding the energy efficiency of ships, the UK is actively contributing to the Intersessional Correspondence Group on the data collection system for fuel consumption of ships ahead of the MEPC70. The establishing of the data collection system is the first step in an agreed three step process towards further technical and operational measures applicable to new and existing ships. We are confident that the data collection system will be adopted at MEPC70 and the UK will continue to contribute to the work of this group to ensure that the data collection system is robust and transparent.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. [1]
In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.
Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.
We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.
[1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the level of atmospheric carbon concentration required to prevent harmful ocean acidification; what assessment she has made of the effect of ocean acidification under atmospheric carbon concentration scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on (a) marine species and (b) coastal populations; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra and DECC have together supported the UK Ocean Acidification Programme to better understand the impacts of climate change on our seas.
Although we are still awaiting the final summary report, outputs from the programme point to a complex range of effects on marine species and ecosystems resulting from the interplay between acidification and temperature increase. The economic effects on coastal populations are uncertain at this point though preliminary work indicates they are likely to be increasingly negative as the century progresses.
However, by reducing emissions in line with the stringent emissions scenario produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6) which is consistent with keeping mean global temperature increase below 2°C, we would significantly increase the options for protection, adaptation and repair of the ocean.
This is why the UK Government is seeking ambitious global action on climate change this month in Paris to protect our oceans in the future.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition the Government uses of a green or low carbon job for the purposes of collating official statistics and announcements.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Broadly, the green and low carbon area consists of goods and services designed for the protection of the environment; the production of renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions (either in the production of the relevant goods or services or in the use of the relevant goods or services).
There is no internationally agreed definition of green or low carbon, however the government has previously collected and published information on the size of low carbon and environmental goods and services sectors in the UK and is currently considering ways in which our understanding of this area can be improved, including discussing the role that ONS can play.