The President of COP26 was asked—
Paris Agreement Temperature Goal
(Foyle) (SDLP)
1. What progress he made at COP26 on ensuring the Paris Agreement
temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees
Celsius remains achievable
The COP26 President ()
The Glasgow climate pact agreed by almost 200 countries is a
historic agreement that advances climate action. It was the
result of two years of marathon work and a two-week sprint of
negotiations, following which the world can creditably say that
we have kept within reach the goal of limiting global warming to
1.5° above pre-industrial levels. But to keep 1.5 alive,
commitments must be translated into action.
The Minister will be well aware that Northern Ireland has a huge
farming and agriculture sector. What funding will his Government
give to that sector to allow us to get to net zero much more
quickly?
As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs is doing an enormous amount to tackle the
issues in respect of net zero. On the COP itself and the joint
work we are doing around the world, we have put in place a number
of mechanisms that we will continue this year, particularly when
it comes to sustainable development.
(South Leicestershire)
(Con)
Given that the Centre for International Environmental Law states
that plastic pollution and global warming are linked, does the
Minister agree that we need to do far more to tackle the scourge
of microplastic and microfibre pollution in our marine
environment?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. He knows that in some
of these policy areas we are leading the world, and he will also
know that we have been leading the effort to get countries to
make the 30by30 commitment to protect our oceans and, of course,
our lands.
(Bristol North West) (Lab)
The COP President has not set out which countries are his
priority for enhanced nationally determined contributions in the
run-up to COP27; will he do so?
As the Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Committee knows, all countries have committed to come back to
their 2030 emissions-reduction targets by 2022, if necessary. Of
course, the G20 is responsible for 80% of global emissions and
will have to lead the way.
(Ludlow) (Con)
Important steps were made at COP26 but some were left incomplete.
In my right hon. Friend’s remaining time as COP President, until
November, on what particular item will he seek to make the most
progress?
My right hon. Friend is right: a whole range of commitments were
made, some of which will continue beyond the end of 2022. As I
said, a key commitment was for countries to revisit their
emissions-reduction targets by the end of 2022. We will work with
the COP27 presidency from Egypt to ensure that countries deliver.
(Doncaster North) (Lab)
Two months on from the COP, there is a worrying lack of momentum
in this pivotal year, and it could get worse if we learn the
wrong lessons from the energy crisis. Does the COP President
agree that the lesson is not that, as some in his party would
say, we are moving too fast on green energy, but the opposite: we
are moving too slowly and our dependence on fossil fuels leaves
us vulnerable? The only way, therefore, to keep 1.5 alive and
provide energy security is to go further and faster on the
climate transition.
The right hon. Gentleman will know that the UK wants to have a
managed transition to net zero, including in our energy mix. He
will also know that under this Government we have led the world
in offshore wind and that this Government are delivering
investment in nuclear to ensure that we increase our baseload.
Consumers looking at their energy bills will ask, “If it is going
so well, why are our bills rocketing and why are we so
vulnerable?” We can keep 1.5 alive only if we have an energy
policy that is fair at home and abroad. Many of the fossil fuel
companies have made billions as a result of soaring prices, yet
the Government say we should not tax them further because they
are struggling. Is not the truth that we are only ever going to
meet the Paris agreement if we stand up to vested interests,
including the oil and gas companies, and that the fair and right
approach is a windfall tax to help with the real struggles faced
by the British people?
We want to see more private sector investment in offshore wind
and, indeed, in renewables and the increasing of our green
baseload. The right hon. Gentleman will have seen that in the net
zero strategy we have set out a plan for an extra £90 billion of
investment from the private sector. That is flowing in because of
the actions of this Government.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
Our young people have led the fight for tougher climate change
pledges, so the world at least does not breach 1.5° of warming.
To support their activism, Scotland recently hosted the UN
Climate Change Conference of Youth ahead of COP26, has unveiled
almost £1 million for a programme for young people in the climate
conference and legacy activities, and has signed up to the UNICEF
declaration on children, youth and climate change, along with
countries such as Norway, the Netherlands and Peru. The UK
Government have not signed up to that declaration. Will they, and
when?
I certainly agree with the hon. Lady that we absolutely need to
ensure that the voices of young people are heard loud and
clear—and indeed they were at COP26, both in terms of civil
society and youth groups. For the first time ever, leading into
that COP, we set up a civil society youth advisory group that
helped us plan for the conference and identify the issues to take
forward. We will continue to engage with young people in civil
society during our presidency year.
COP26 Commitments: Government Procurement
(Bury North) (Con)
2. Whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the
potential contribution of Government procurement to delivering on
COP26 commitments.
The COP26 President ()
As my hon. Friend knows, the Government put in place a new
procurement policy that underlines the UK’s global leadership in
tackling climate change. Prospective suppliers bidding for
contracts above £5 million a year must now have committed to the
Government’s target of net zero by 2050 and have published a
carbon reduction plan.
In line with the COP26 goal of adapting to protect communities
and natural habitats, what conversations has my right hon. Friend
had with colleagues to ensure Government procurement of
biodegradable face masks?
My hon. Friend raises a very important point. The Department of
Health and Social Care is indeed actively exploring the use of
reusable face masks, reusable eye protection and reusable
transparent masks. I will ensure that the relevant Minister from
the Department writes to him with more details.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
As the COP26 President knows, the Glasgow climate pact reaffirmed
the ambition to limit global heating to 1.5°. He also knows that
the International Energy Agency has made it really clear that if
we are to meet that target there can be no new oil, gas or coal
projects. So will he make the case to the Secretary of State and
the Prime Minister that the 40 new fossil fuel projects in the
pipeline for approval in the UK are plainly incompatible with the
terms of the agreement that he presided over?
I wish that sometimes the hon. Lady would praise the work that
the Government are doing in terms of pushing forward on
renewables. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy has set out a consultation on a climate compatibility
checkpoint when it comes to future licences, and she should write
in and set out her views.
Transition to Net Zero: North Sea Oil and Gas Industry
Dame (South Northamptonshire)
(Con)
3. What assessment he has made of the potential role of the North
Sea oil and gas industry in the transition to net zero in line
with objectives agreed at COP26.
The Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change ()
Through the North Sea transition deal, the oil and gas industry
has committed to early targets for offshore production emissions
reductions, with 10% reductions by 2025, 25% by 2027 and 50% by
2030, setting out the path to achieve a net zero basin by 2050.
Dame
I certainly will praise my right hon. and hon. Friends for their
amazing work on renewable energy, and on the transition to net
zero, but does my right hon. Friend agree that, although the net
zero challenge is the greatest challenge of our generation, to
keep energy bills down and to keep our energy security we must
make best use of our oil and gas resources?
My right hon. Friend makes a very strong case. Obviously the
answer lies with renewables, but it also makes no sense for us to
increase imports of volatile-price fossil fuels, which come to us
with higher embedded emissions. That is why we have the North Sea
transition deal—not to close down the industry, but to work with
the sector to make the transition to the net zero future that we
all signed up to.
(Sheffield, Hallam) (Lab)
In a recent written question, No. 98384, the Government were
asked if they would explain how individual policies in the net
zero strategy, including on North sea oil and gas, would reduce
emissions. In a reply dated 14 January 2022, the Minister said
that he would publish the information when
“decisions on the design of the associated individual policy
intervention are sufficiently advanced”.
How is it possible that the Government published a net zero
strategy without an understanding of what the individual policies
will mean, and how can we therefore believe their promise that we
are on course to meet crucial targets for 2030 and 2035?
Of course the Government are fully aware of these issues; there
is no change in the Government’s position. We published the net
zero strategy and we are seeing it come through. We are
delivering on all of the aspects. My right hon. Friend the COP
President just mentioned the climate change compatibility
checkpoint. We are delivering on all of these things with haste.
(Banff and Buchan) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s response and the Government’s
ongoing commitment to support the UK oil and gas sector in their
role to drive forward the energy transition to net zero. Will my
right hon. Friend join me in welcoming yesterday’s High Court
ruling to throw out claims by certain environmental activists
that UK Government support for the industry was unlawful?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. We welcome yesterday’s
judgment. I, probably like he, wonder whether the SNP and the
Scottish Green Government in Edinburgh would share our welcome.
There will be an ongoing need for oil and gas as we reduce demand
amid the transition to lower carbon energy, which, in the end, is
the solution. I know from my visit to his constituency just last
month how important renewables are for delivery in his
constituency of Banff and Buchan.
COP26 Commitments: Carbon Capture and Sequestration
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
4. What assessment he has made of the potential role of carbon
capture and sequestration in delivering the UK’s COP26
commitments to reduce emissions.
The Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change ()
The UK can become a world leader in technology to capture and
store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere. In the net zero
strategy, the UK Government announced their ambition to capture
and store 20 to 30 megatonnes of CO2 per annum by 2030, with 10
megatonnes to be delivered by track-2 clusters.
The Scottish carbon cluster site would address Scotland’s two
biggest greenhouse gas emitters. It would unlock 30% of the UK’s
carbon dioxide storage capability and combine hydrogen
production, direct air capture and a shipping terminal to serve
the rest of the UK in terms of carbon dioxide storage. Why then
was the Scottish cluster relegated to reserve status and what
representation has the right hon. Gentleman had from the
“lightweight” Scottish Tory leader about this disgraceful
decision?
As ever, I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As he
knows, Acorn is the first reserve, which means that it met the
eligibility criteria and performed well in the evaluation
criteria. As for the Scottish Conservatives, I speak to my hon.
Friend the Member for Moray (), the leader of the Scottish
Conservatives, frequently. I also speak to the local MP, my hon.
Friend the Member for Banff and Buchan (), and others. The Scottish
cluster, Acorn, has a good future. I have also recently met with
Storegga, INEOS and Shell to discuss specific aspects in relation
to the cluster, which moves ahead.
Zero Emission Vehicles
(South East Cornwall)
(Con)
5. What progress he made at COP26 on supporting the transition to
zero emission vehicles.
(South Basildon and East
Thurrock) (Con)
11. What progress he made at COP26 on supporting the transition
to zero emission vehicles.
The Secretary of State for International Trade ()
At COP26, the UK launched a joint statement with more than 100
signatories, committing to work towards all new car sales being
zero emission by 2040 globally, and by 2035 in leading markets.
Thirty-two per cent. of the global car market is now covered by
manufacturer commitments to phase out polluter vehicles.
Mrs Murray
Cornwall is keen to take the lead in the emergency green economy,
in particular looking at local lithium to store electricity. Can
my right hon. Friend update the House on what action the
Government are taking to utilise this important asset and what
benefits she sees for the people of Cornwall.
My hon. Friend the Minister for industry visited innovative UK
companies Cornish Lithium and British Lithium just last week to
see their exciting progress towards producing lithium in the UK.
These are great examples of UK enterprise benefiting from
Government funding to support jobs and growth in Cornwall and
providing a critical mineral to support our green industrial
revolution. We are looking forward to working further with
industry as we develop our critical mineral strategy later this
year.
The UK COP presidency has established the Zero Emission Vehicles
Transition Council. That will bring together the Governments of
the world’s largest car markets to work towards accelerating this
transition. Can my right hon. Friend tell the House what role the
council will play in the UK’s presidency year, ahead of COP27?
The UK will continue to work through the Zero Emission Vehicles
Transition Council for an accelerated and equitable global
transition to zero emission vehicles as well as delivery of its
2022 action plan, which includes collaboration on regulations,
heavy goods vehicles, infrastructure and support to developing
countries. The ZEVTC will be one of the leading initiatives for
international collaboration under the Glasgow breakthrough on
road transport.
(Bath) (LD)
The most pressing issue for a successful roll-out of electric
vehicles is grid capacity. The National Grid is a private
company. Who will pay for this huge investment in the National
Grid?
The ongoing work that the net zero strategy has set forward,
which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Energy, Clean Growth
and Climate Change continues to work on, will help build the new
grids that we need, as we know that we are going to be requiring
up to four times as much electricity. Also, our use of
electricity will be through a much more distributed grid system.
That will be ongoing work in the months and years ahead.
(Glenrothes) (SNP)
What does the Minister think is more likely to encourage greater
use of electric vehicles: the Scottish Government’s grant scheme,
with up to £28,000 for the purchase of a new vehicle, or her
Government’s decision to cut the equivalent grant in England to
just £2,500?
The Government are leading the way in supporting the transition
that our vehicle manufacturers are making towards zero emission
vehicles and through the work that the COP President set out,
ensuring that all countries across the world will be part of the
zero emissions revolution.
Coal Use Reduction
(Penrith and The Border)
(Con)
6. What progress he made at COP26 on reducing the use of coal.
The COP26 President ()
In the Glasgow climate pact, all parties agreed to phase down the
use of coal, the first ever specific mention of coal in the UN
climate decision text. The global coal to clean power transition
statement gained 77 signatures from countries, sub-nationals and
organisations, and the Powering Past Coal Alliance grew to 165
members
Dr Hudson
I congratulate the COP President on his achievements at COP26. I
welcome our move away from the use of coal, and that should
include any new exploration for both thermal and metallurgical
coal. With that in mind, does he agree that the UK can be a
beacon to the rest of the world and we can show a progressive
environmental example by not going ahead with the proposed
coalmine in west Cumbria?
As my hon. Friend is aware, an independent inspector has overseen
a public inquiry into the scheme and a report is now being
prepared with recommendations for Ministers to consider. He will
understand that it is not appropriate for me to comment at this
stage. However, more generally, the UK has shown leadership on
coal, not least through the significant reduction over the past
decade in coal use to generate our electricity.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
It would be entirely appropriate for the COP President to comment
on that and to intervene—it is a political decision whether to go
ahead with a new coalmine in Cumbria. Should he not cancel it now
and instead invest in wind, hydro, marine and tidal energy that
can be championed by Cumbrian businesses such as Gilkes,
investing in green jobs rather than dirty, old-fashioned ones?
I thought that the hon. Gentleman liked independent processes and
that is what is running now.
Topical Questions
(Leeds East) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.
The COP26 President ()
I have just concluded constructive visits to Egypt and the United
Arab Emirates, the respective holders of COP27 and COP28. I met a
range of Government Ministers and businesses, and we agreed that
we would work closely to ensure the lasting impact of climate
negotiations and other climate commitments made in Glasgow.
Just days after the Glasgow COP ended, Tory Ministers were wining
and dining with senior fossil fuel executives, including from
Shell and BP, apparently to urge them to keep on drilling for oil
and gas in the North sea. As COP President, does he not agree
that, instead of being in the pockets of fossil fuel giants,
Ministers should be following the United Nations’ call for an end
to all new fossil fuel projects—[Interruption.]
Mr Speaker
Order. Topicals are meant to be short and quick. You cannot have
a full statement—other people have got to get in.
The hon. Gentleman is definitely making my job harder by the
amount of hot air he is emitting—I wonder whether he will offset
those emissions. Let me be clear that we have a commitment to
have a managed transition in our energy mix, and that is what we
are doing.
(Eastbourne) (Con)
T3. Will COP26’s Clydebank declaration for green shipping
corridors set the course for more zero emission shipping routes?
That is particularly significant for air quality for my
constituents in Eastbourne and Willingdon, who live alongside the
busiest shipping lane in the world.
It certainly will. The declaration aims to support the
establishment of at least six green corridors by the middle of
this decade while aiming to scale up activity in the following
years. We definitely want to see more such green corridors in
operation.
Dame (Wallasey) (Lab)
T2. Surely a just transition means not leaving millions to cope
with soaring energy prices as inflation hits its highest level
for 30 years. Why will the Government not heed Labour’s
suggestion to protect them by introducing a one-off windfall tax
on North sea oil and gas producers who have profited from the
surging prices?
The Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change ()
I am surprised that the hon. Member is pursuing that line of
inquiry. Labour’s motion here in this Chamber last Tuesday
totally unravelled and was rejected comprehensively. The
Government are taking action—we are supporting vulnerable
households through winter fuel payments, cold weather payments,
the household support fund and so on—but the Labour proposal
unravelled tragically last week, Mr Speaker, as you saw.
(Epsom and Ewell) (Con)
T4. My right hon. Friend is well aware of my concern about
deforestation in the Amazon. As he deals with the Brazilian
Government over the coming months, will he put pressure on them
to make sure that they not only keep their commitments made at
COP26, but stop the illegal deforestation that is taking place
now?
My right hon. Friend raises a really important point, and of
course I will continue to work very closely with Brazil on the
commitments that have been made to make sure they are
implemented. I will be speaking to Minister Leite, the
Environment Minister, in the coming weeks to reaffirm those
commitments and our view that they should be followed through.
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
T5. With millions of species at risk of extinction and
deforestation accelerating across the globe, it is imperative
that we limit global warming to 1.5 degrees to halt this
catastrophic decline, so will the Minister now accept Labour’s
call for a net zero and nature test to align public spending and
infrastructure decisions with our climate and nature commitments?
If the hon. Member was at COP 26 or was following what was going
on, he will have seen the huge commitment to protecting nature.
Of course, we also want to ensure that CBD15 is a success.
(Bracknell) (Con)
T6. How does the COP President reconcile his narrative of the
global leadership required for COP26 and net zero with the acute
reality that we still need to extract hydrocarbons, not least to
keep energy costs down?
Of course, as I said earlier, we want to see an orderly
transition to net zero in our energy mix, which includes oil and
gas, but the answer to delivering net zero, keeping bills under
control and ensuring security of supply is to continue to build
out our world-leading offshore wind sector and invest in nuclear
and hydrogen, as this Government are doing.
(Cardiff North) (Lab)
T7. The Government have just upped the risk of climate-triggered
wars in the coming decades from medium to high. Our planet is on
fire, but this Government are too busy fighting fires in Downing
Street instead of showing leadership, and slashing aid for
climate-vulnerable communities, locking them into fossil fuel.
How long will it be before they stop being embroiled in their own
scandals and realise that we are embroiled in a climate scandal?
The Prime Minister has absolutely been leading on this agenda for
years—[Interruption.] He has been leading for years. I would just
say that it was a Conservative Government who put in place net
zero by 2050, and Members should just look at the commitments we
have made under the current Prime Minister, with our nationally
determined contribution and our carbon budget 6. We are leading
the world when it comes to going green.
(Redcar) (Con)
The Minister will know that Teesside is the hydrogen capital of
the UK, where we already produce more than 50% of our
commercially viable hydrogen, so will he consider throwing his
weight behind Redcar and Cleveland’s bid to become home to the
UK’s first hydrogen village by 2025?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. He knows that we are
co-operating very closely internationally and domestically on
hydrogen. On Redcar’s bid, he is a passionate advocate for all
things related to Redcar, and his message has been heard loud and
clear by the Government.
(West
Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
Two years ago, Together Energy was providing 350 jobs in my
constituency, leading on innovation for small and medium-sized
utility companies. Yesterday, it went bust. While his Prime
Minister and his Chancellor are missing in action doing other
stuff, can the Minister tell me what his Government and Ofgem are
doing to support small and medium-sized utility companies deliver
zero emissions and deliver jobs in my constituency?
I am not going to take any lectures from the hon. Gentleman. He
knows very well that the Government are working very closely with
the sector. He knows that we have put in place a price cap, and
he knows that, when it comes to jobs, this Government are
investing, and we want to see 2 million green jobs created over
the coming decades.
Mr Speaker
I call Fleur Anderson—[Interruption.]
Hon. Members
Hear, hear!
Mr Speaker
Order. [Interruption.] I certainly do not expect any more. For
the moment, we have one more question before Prime Minister’s
questions.
(Putney) (Lab)
If the Government had not scrapped the green homes grant last
year, they would have saved thousands of households money. When
will the Government reform and bring back the green homes grant?
We are supporting the green transition across all sectors through
the work we are doing. I am sure that the Minister for Energy,
Clean Growth and Climate Change would be delighted to speak to
the hon. Lady about the issue she raises.
