Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the Climate and Ecology Bill.
Tackling climate change is a top priority for the Government and Ministers. I am aware that a lot has been achieved on the road to achieving net zero emissions. Between 1990 and 2019, the UK economy grew by more than three-quarters and cut its emissions by 44 per cent, decarbonising faster than any other G7 country.
I understand that while Ministers acknowledge the intentions of the Bill, the UK already has a world-leading emissions reduction framework in place. The Climate Change Act 2008 made the UK the first country to introduce a legally binding, long-term emissions reduction target. In October 2021, the Government published the Net Zero Strategy, building on the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. It is a cross-economy strategy which keeps us on our path to net zero by 2050. To oversee progress, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) provides expert advice to the Government on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The UK’s 2050 net-zero target was considered, in line with advice from the CCC, to be the earliest feasible date for achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
Further, the Environment Act 2021 will drive the long-term action nature needs to recover through legally binding targets, new policy measures, a new environmental enforcement body, the Office for Environmental Protection, and placing environmental principles in domestic law in a consistent and transparent way. The Act includes a target to halt the decline of species by 2030. The Government has also published a 25 year plan to improve the environment which you can read here: 25 Year Environment Plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
I am assured that the Government has regularly funded public dialogues, which provide in-depth insight into people’s views to inform a wide range of policy areas. In recent years, the Government has run public dialogues on a range of climate and environment issues, such as net zero, heating, transport decarbonisation, hydrogen, food, advanced nuclear technologies, energy and the environment. The Government will continue to engage with the public on the changes needed to deliver net zero by the 2050 target and to listen to feedback.
Finally, the UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. As part of this framework, the UK will be advocating for ambitious global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. This includes targets to ensure at least 30 per cent of the global land and of the ocean is protected, ecosystems are restored, species population sizes are recovering, and extinctions are halted by 2050.
I have a dedicated section on my website which details my position on a range of environmental issues which you can find here: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Richard Fuller
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
