The President of COP26 was asked— Succession of the UK Presidency:
Timeframe Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con) 1. What his
timeframe is for the succession of the UK presidency following the
COP26 conference. (905812) The COP26 President (Alok Sharma) The UK
took on the COP26 presidency on 31 October last year at the start
of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. We hold the presidency
throughout this year until the start of COP27 in November, when we
pass the...Request free trial
The President of COP26 was asked—
Succession of the UK Presidency: Timeframe
(Wellingborough) (Con)
1. What his timeframe is for the succession of the UK presidency
following the COP26 conference. (905812)
The COP26 President ()
The UK took on the COP26 presidency on 31 October last year at
the start of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. We hold the
presidency throughout this year until the start of COP27 in
November, when we pass the presidency baton to Egypt. We are
already working closely with Egypt and other partners to ensure
that countries deliver on the commitments they made at COP26.
Mr Bone
Will the Minister use his remaining time as President to pivot
the conference away from making climate change the No. 1 goal to
making energy security the No. 1 goal?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. One of the reasons the
UK has reduced its dependency on gas is precisely that we pushed
out in terms of renewables. We have the second-biggest offshore
wind sector in the world and we want to quadruple it. What I
want, as part of the solution to tackling climate change, is a
clean energy transition across the world.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
One of the set-backs at COP26 was the failure to reassemble the
coalition we managed to put together in Paris in 2015, which met
the high ambition to bring both developed and developing
countries together to put pressure on the big emitters to pull
weight. In the transition to a new presidency, what is the
current President doing to try to rebuild that coalition ahead of
Egypt taking on the role?
I just gently point out to the hon. Gentleman that the Glasgow
climate pact was delivered as a result of consensus brokered by
the UK across almost 200 countries. What we now need to ensure is
that we get countries to deliver on the commitments they made.
That is what I am focused on during the rest of my time as COP
President.
Glasgow Climate Pact: Role of Businesses
Mr (South West Hertfordshire)
(Con)
2. What assessment he has made of the role of businesses in
implementing the Glasgow climate pact. (905813)
The COP26 President ()
COP26 was one of the first conferences where there was a
significant presence from the private sector. Collectively,
business made a significant number of commitments. Five thousand
international companies have signed up to the UN’s Race to Zero
campaign, including over half the FTSE 100.
I thank the President for that answer. My constituent, Wayne
McGuire of Grove Innovations in Tring, does excellent work
fitting heat pumps to households, which can be a vital assistance
in reducing the use of coal, as agreed to in the Glasgow climate
pact. What provisions have the Government made following COP26 to
support other businesses like Grove Innovations and ensure that
the installation of green technologies is viable for all
households?
I thank my hon. Friend’s constituent, Wayne McGuire of Grove
Innovations, for the work he is doing to ensure a green energy
transition in our own country. With regard to support, as
announced in our heat and building strategy last year, the
Government are launching a new £450 million boiler upgrade
scheme, providing upfront grants of up to £6,000 to install heat
pumps.
Loss and Damage Fund
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
3. What discussions he has had with his (a) Cabinet colleagues
and (b) international counterparts on the development of a loss
and damage fund. (905814)
The COP26 President ()
COP26 was the first COP where a section of the cover decisions
was devoted to loss and damage. We agreed a new Glasgow dialogue
on loss and damage, which will discuss the arrangements for the
funding of activities that avert, minimise and address loss and
damage.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report
confirms that many consequences of climate change are already
locked in, regardless of ongoing efforts to mitigate them, and
that the consequences will fall mostly on those least able to
cope and on those least responsible for the crisis. Can the
President confirm that his Government will be aiming for an
equitable loss and damage agreement that compensates developing
nations and recognises the disproportionate role of developed
nations in causing such loss and damage?
I note the point the hon. Gentleman makes. He will know that the
UK already funds internationally relevant activities relating to
loss and damage, including humanitarian and disaster response
support. With regard to the Glasgow dialogue, that will be a
consensus-driven process. Ultimately, all parties will have to
reach a collective decision on the outcome and results of that
dialogue. What we want to ensure is progress during this
year.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
The IPCC’s latest report, as my hon. Friend the Member for
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East () mentioned,
acknowledged loss and damage, and warned that it is most
concentrated among the poorest, most vulnerable populations. The
loss and damage mechanism was established at COP19 back in 2013,
and recognised in Paris in 2015; its details, however, are still
to be finalised. The Scottish Government stepped up to the plate
in Glasgow on that issue, followed by private enterprises and
others, such as Wallonia. It will clearly be the subject of even
more international attention at COP27. As COP President, what
pressure is he putting on his own Government to follow the
Scottish Government’s lead?
As I said in response to an earlier question, the UK is already
funding activities internationally that are relevant to tackling
loss and damage. The hon. Member knows that we are doubling our
international climate finance commitment. My role is to broker
consensus among almost 200 parties. That is why we are beginning
to ensure that by the time we get to Sharm el-Sheikh we have made
some progress on the discussion on loss and damage, but I hear
what she is saying.
COP26 Presidency: Priorities
(Keighley) (Con)
4. What progress he plans to make in tackling climate change
during his COP26 presidency. (905815)
(Kensington) (Con)
8. What his priorities are for the COP26 presidency. (905819)
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
11. What his priorities are for the COP26 presidency.
(905822)
(Scunthorpe) (Con)
12. What his priorities are for the COP26 presidency.
(905823)
The COP26 President ()
As I have already noted, we are working with Egypt, as the
incoming holder of the presidency, and other partners to ensure
that countries deliver on the commitments that they signed up to
in the Glasgow climate pact. We want to ensure that there is
progress on adaptation, finance and, of course, support for
developing nations, and we need to ensure that all countries
revisit their 2030 emission reduction targets.
At a local level across Keighley and Ilkley we have experienced
the real impacts of climate change, including flooding in Utley,
a landslide in Riddlesden, and severe water issues along Redcar
Lane in Steeton. As we look to build on the deal achieved at
COP26 last year, how will we work with international partners to
make real progress on adapting to the damaging effects of climate
change?
A number of colleagues have raised the IPCC report, and my hon.
Friend raises a vital point. The report was a grim reminder to
the world about climate change and how it is affecting our
planet. What it underlines, and this is what we are doing through
our presidency, is working with parties to ensure that there is
faster progress on adaptation—particularly on finance, with the
commitment to double adaptation finance. Domestically, we are
putting in place robust measures, including £5.2 billion to
tackle coastal erosion and flooding in the UK.
One of the great successes of our COP presidency was the amount
of private capital dedicated towards net zero. It increased from
$5 trillion to a staggering $130 trillion. How will my right hon.
Friend keep up that momentum?
As my hon. Friend highlights, net zero has become one of the
clearest financial trends. I pay tribute to Mark Carney and his
whole team for establishing the Glasgow Financial Alliance for
Net Zero, to which she refers. I hope that during this year
additional private capital will sign up to that alliance. Part of
the work of GFANZ is to ensure that some of the funds are
directed towards climate resilience projects in developing
nations. We are working with GFANZ and other partners towards
that objective.
It is vital that the UK seizes the opportunities of net zero to
create new industries and green jobs. How is the President of
COP26 prioritising skills to help the United Kingdom and the
world to achieve our ultimate goal?
My hon. Friend is right to link achieving net zero with jobs
creation. Of course, as we build these new green industries, it
will require equipping workers with the right skills. I
congratulate him on the hard work that he did in ensuring an
award from the UK Government of £380,000 to Borders College in
his constituency to develop green courses in entrepreneurship and
carbon literacy. I look forward to visiting the college with him
next week.
My right hon. Friend has committed to getting the Santiago
Network on loss and damage running to provide concrete solutions.
Will he provide a further update on that?
Work on the Santiago Network is under way. Submissions are being
requested from parties. As my hon. Friend knows, it is a two-year
programme. We want to ensure that by the end of the year, and by
COP27, we have operationalised the Santiago Network, and that
there is funding available to provide technical support to
countries that need it.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
I thank the President for attending the meeting on small island
developing states recently; they really appreciated that. If
global warming is kept at 2°, we will lose 99% of our coral
reefs; if it is at 1.5°, we will lose 70%. It seems particularly
appropriate, with COP27 being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, that that
should be a priority. Could the President tell us whether it will
be?
It is absolutely a priority. The hon. Lady makes particular
reference to support provided for adaptation, and as I said we
reached a commitment at COP26 for developed nations to double the
amount of money going towards adaptation finance by 2025. I want
to ensure that we are on trajectory by the time we get to Sharm
el-Sheikh.
(Bath) (LD)
Reuters reports today that data show that the corporate world
remains far from aligned with global climate goals and that some
countries have gone backwards since the agreement. What does the
President have to say to that?
There is clear recognition within the private sector that net
zero is the right approach. It is obviously what customers and
clients want, but it is also good for the bottom line. My hon.
Friend the Member for Kensington () referred to $130 trillion
of assets being committed to net zero, and we need to ensure that
those commitments are in line with the science. That is one of
the things that the UN Secretary-General is looking to do through
his expert group.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
The Glasgow climate pact and, indeed, the COP26 priorities
contain a commitment to keep 1.5° alive, yet the UN Environment
Programme production gap report warns that Governments plan to
produce more than twice the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than
is consistent with 1.5°. Real climate leaders do not license new
oil, gas or coal and no amount of climate checkpoints will change
the climate reality. Will his Government scrap their checkpoint
as inconsistent with climate leadership and rule out new fossil
fuel licences once and for all?
We put forward a plan for how we wanted to ensure that our
climate compatibility checkpoint was consistent with our legally
binding commitment to net zero by 2050. That consultation closed
on Monday. I hope that the hon. Lady responded to it and I know
that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
will come forward with its views on the checkpoint in due
course.
(Cardiff North) (Lab)
Just over 100 days after world leaders agreed vital efforts to
limit global warming at COP26, a UN report has issued a stark
warning of the dire consequences of inaction. This Conservative
Government are asleep at the wheel when it comes to delivering a
secure and stable future. Will the Minister go further and act
faster to cut emissions, commit to adaptation finance and prevent
the “atlas of human suffering” from becoming a grim reality?
The hon. Lady has to judge the Government on our record. We have
cut emissions the fastest of any country in the G20 or G7 in
recent years. We have the second biggest offshore wind sector in
the world and we want to quadruple that by 2030. We are not
reliant on Russian gas precisely because we have focused on clean
energy in our country. That is what we want to see delivered
across the rest of the world as well.
(North East Hertfordshire)
(Con)
My right hon. Friend will be aware of the key role of marine
conservation in tackling climate change and that damage to the
seabed and the plants that are there can be very damaging in the
battle towards climate change. With that in mind, will he look at
the Bill presented yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Member
for Epsom and Ewell (), supported by me and
others? It would ban bottom trawling, which would mean that we
could tackle the problem better.
I am happy to look at the Bill that my right hon. and learned
Friend mentions, of course. As we know from the IPCC report, if
global warming continues at current rates, by 2070 we could be in
a position in which a third of all plant and animal species are
extinct.
(Doncaster North) (Lab)
The House stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and the
Minister’s COP presidency now faces an utterly changed context
with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The crisis shows how global
dependence on fossil fuels can support the most tyrannical
regimes. This is a war underwritten by Russia’s oil and gas. Does
he agree that the best route to protect our energy and national
security and to undermine the power of Putin is not by increasing
our dependence on fossil fuels, whose price is set on the
international market, but by supercharging the drive to
renewables, nuclear and energy efficiency so that all countries,
including our own, have clean, cheap and homegrown power?
No one can fail to be moved by the appalling suffering of the
citizens of Ukraine, including children. They are enduring
unimaginable conditions, and our hearts and thoughts are very
much with them.
The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point about the clean
energy transition. I have said in the past that we want to see a
managed clean energy transition, which is why we have put forward
the North sea transition deal, and of course the Government are
focused on renewables, on nuclear and on hydrogen.
An essential part of becoming less dependent on fossil fuels is
reducing our demand for gas by making more progress on energy
efficiency. On its own, insulating the 18 million draughty homes
in our country would cut our imports of gas by 15%—double the
amount we import from Russia. In his role holding Departments to
account on net zero, will the COP26 President now persuade
Treasury and other colleagues that it is time to finally get
serious and invest at scale in the national programme to upgrade
Britain’s homes, which Labour has long called for?
The right hon. Gentleman is right. Buildings are responsible for
20% of emissions in the UK; in our heat and buildings strategy,
we set out our aim to ensure we insulate homes. He is right that
that is how to reduce not only emissions, but costs for
individuals and businesses.
Outcome of COP26
(Bolsover) (Con)
5. What assessment he has made of the outcome of COP26.
(905816)
(Burnley) (Con)
6. What assessment he has made of the outcome of COP26.
(905817)
(Clacton) (Con)
7. What assessment he has made of the outcome of COP26.
(905818)
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
15. What assessment he has made of the outcome of COP26.
(905826)
The COP26 President ()
At COP26, almost 200 countries agreed to the historic Glasgow
climate pact, which keeps alive the aim of limiting the average
global temperature rise to 1.5°. At the Munich security
conference last month, John Kerry, the US special envoy for
climate, referred to COP26 as perhaps the best or one of the best
of the COPs, saying that it did more than Paris; it really gave
life to Paris. We now need to ensure that the commitments are
acted on.
Given the horrible events that we are witnessing in Ukraine at
the moment, does my right hon. Friend agree that the move from
COP towards more renewables is more important than ever,
particularly for our European neighbours? They need to wean
themselves off Russian gas and oil for the good of our world.
There is a lot of consensus in the House that the UK’s
significant expansion of renewables in the past decade,
particularly in the offshore wind sector, has reduced our
dependence on gas. My hon. Friend is right that we need to
continue to push out on this to ensure our domestic energy
security. As I say, we want more on renewables, more on nuclear
and more on hydrogen.
Now more than ever, we have to ensure security of supply.
Following COP26, does my right hon. Friend agree that investing
in technologies such as new nuclear is so important for
constituencies such as mine and for the wider Lancashire
area?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. When I was Business
Secretary, we set out our 10-point plan for a green industrial
revolution, in which we made it very clear that we would be
supporting nuclear. We have followed that through; I know that my
hon. Friend will have particularly welcomed the funding that is
going towards new small modular reactor technology.
I recently met the brilliant people at Rolls-Royce who are
working on small modular reactors, which will help to fill the
gap between fossil fuels and renewable energy. Does my right hon.
Friend agree that more investment in nuclear power will help to
combat global climate change and, more importantly, help our
desperate constituents who are having to choose between eating
and heating right now?
I share my hon. Friend’s view: nuclear has to be part of our
clean energy mix. We are investing in SMR technology through
Rolls-Royce, as he has acknowledged. It also provides an export
opportunity for the UK and the creation of jobs in our industrial
heartlands.
Will my right hon. Friend set out what steps he is taking to
ensure that the Glasgow climate pact starts delivering this year,
in 2022?
Delivery of the Glasgow climate pact is very much the focus for
this year. As I said in Glasgow, we managed to keep 1.5° alive,
but its pulse is weak and will strengthen only if Governments
honour their commitments. Since COP, I have engaged with
Ministers from more than 30 countries. I will continue to engage
and press them to honour their commitments.
(Bristol South) (Lab)
The credibility of the presidency depends on action at home. Next
month, the Advanced Construction Skills Centre in my constituency
will host my apprenticeships fair. Does the COP26 President agree
that the jobs of the future and apprenticeships offer a credible
way to take action at home? Will he support my fair? Will he say
how his Government are supporting the jobs of the future?
Apprenticeships, of course, are a big focus for this Government.
We have created many hundreds of thousands over the past years.
Ensuring apprenticeships in green technologies is vital, and I
wish the hon. Lady well with her fair.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
Mr Speaker, do you and the Minister agree that, if we are to take
COP26 seriously, it should be about what we do locally as well as
what we do nationally? Is the Minister aware that the company
that the House of Commons Commission has chosen for the contract
to construct the holocaust memorial building, which I fully
support, rather than putting all the materials and the waste and
all that traffic on the river, which would be easily done, will
put it on the road, to snarl up London traffic and pollute the
air? Could we look at this question locally and nationally, right
now?
I note the point that the hon. Gentleman has made. He will
appreciate that it is not part of my responsibilities, but I am
sure that you, Mr Speaker, and other relevant colleagues will
have heard his call for action.
(Sheffield, Hallam) (Lab)
In its report this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change put forward its bleakest warning yet, stating that
“progress on adaptation is uneven and there are increasing gaps
between action taken and what is needed to deal with the
increasing risks”.
It emphasised the urgency of immediate action, concluding:
“Half measures are no longer an option.”
Given that, will the COP President outline what concrete steps
have been taken since COP26 to scale up finance for adaptation,
whether he will increase ambition in the light of the report, and
whether he will commit to bringing a plan to this House on how we
will meet the 2025 target?
The hon. Lady raises a very important point. Of course, the
report was a stark warning—yet again; another code red—that we
need to take action. I set out in answer to earlier questions
what we are doing to push forward, particularly on finance—we are
doubling adaptation finance. We will ensure that, by the time we
get to COP27, the trajectory has moved forward.
Topical Questions
(Kensington) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(905827)
The COP26 President ()
Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is at the forefront of all
our minds, as are the brave and courageous people of Ukraine, who
are having to defend themselves from the despicable onslaught of
Putin’s forces. Supporting and standing with Ukraine is rightly
our most immediate priority, but as the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change report earlier this week highlighted, the
chronic threat of climate change has not gone away. That is why
we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that countries deliver
on their commitments set out in the Glasgow climate pact.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the path to net zero not
only creates clean, green energy but makes us energy resilient,
which will further reduce our need for imported oil and gas?
My hon. Friend is entirely right, and I can tell her that when I
speak to Governments around the world, they see the UK as a
leader in the clean energy transition. On my recent visit to
Vietnam, for instance, they were particularly keen to understand
the revenue mechanisms we have put in place to ensure more
private sector investment in our offshore wind sector.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
T3. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the voices
of environmental and human rights defenders are heard in the COP
process, and that their safety and security are protected
worldwide?(905830)
At COP26 and in the lead-up to it, we ensured that the voices of
civil society and youth were heard, and I am sure that is
something that all future COPs will want to ensure too.
(East Surrey) (Con)
T2. The energy security of Europe will clearly be central to the
security of us all. I commend the COP President for his tireless
work to promote the growth of renewable energies across Europe.
Will he update the House on his plans to press ahead with the
nuclear agenda in particular, with our allies in
Europe?(905829)
Thankfully, the UK is not reliant on Russian oil and gas because
we have invested significantly in renewables, and we will
continue to do so. However, my hon. Friend makes an important
point. Every country needs to think about a managed clean energy
transition and security of supply.
(North West Durham)
(Con)
T4. The next generation of jobs and apprenticeships is going to
be delivered in the industries that the COP President talks
about. Would he praise those employers reaching out to young
people at my apprenticeships fair just a few weeks ago in Consett
for all the work that they are doing to deliver great jobs in
these high-tech sectors for the next generation?(905831)
Employers in the private sector are going to be vital to the
transition to net zero. I commend all the employers who attended
my hon. Friend’s apprenticeships fair and indeed employers across
the country for everything they are doing to ensure a clean
transition by 2050 in our country.
Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)
T5. Many countries will be considering how they can reduce
their dependence on Russia for energy supplies. Will my right
hon. Friend use his presidency to help other countries to ensure
that they can diversify their supplies and use renewable energy
with British assistance?(905832)
Yes; my right hon. Friend makes a really important point. We are
working with developed country partners to see how we can support
other nations to make that transition to clean energy and to
reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
Does the President recognise that consideration for biodiversity
loss needs to be given parity in the Government’s plans for
environmental protection, alongside their existing plans for
delivering net zero?
As the hon. Lady will know, we had a big focus on nature at COP26
and we had a commitment from over 140 countries representing over
90% of forests around the world to ensure that they are
protected. We will of course continue to work on this issue with
partners around the world.
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