Thank you for contacting me about climate change.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face and I appreciate what an important issue this is.
A report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the world is warming faster than previously anticipated and climate change is already affecting every single region of our planet. This stark report must be met with immediate global action to limit warming, heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and loss of Arctic Sea ice, snow cover and permafrost.
The UK is continuing to play a world-leading role in tackling climate change and was the first G7 country to legislate to achieve net zero by 2050. The UK is decarbonising faster than any other G20 country. In addition, ambitious climate targets have been set in law, such as a commitment to reduce emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, and also to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035, both compared to 1990 levels.
This does not come at the expense of economic growth. The UK has grown its economy by 75 per cent while cutting emissions by 43 per cent since 1990.
The UK accounts for approximately 1.2 per cent of global emissions and global action is required to tackle climate change. When the UK took on the COP26 Presidency, in partnership with Italy, only 30 per cent of the world was covered by net zero targets. This figure is now at around 90 per cent.
The Glasgow Climate Pact calls on countries to accelerate efforts towards the phase down of unabated coal power and phase out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable in line with national circumstances and recognising the need for support towards a just transition.
Furthermore, the Glasgow Climate Pact will speed up the pace of climate action. All countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their current emissions targets to 2030 in 2022. This will be combined with a yearly political roundtable to consider a global progress report and a Leaders summit in 2023.
The Prime Minister's Ten Point Plan lays the blueprint for how net zero is due to be acheived. The plan will mobilise £12 billion of Government investment to create and support up to 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK, and spur over three times as much private sector investment by 2030. Included in the plan is £160 million investment into offshore wind which will create 60,000 jobs, a commitment to produce enough offshore wind to power every home, quadrupling how much the UK produces to 40GW by 2030. Since the launch of the Ten Point Plan, £26 billion of government capital investment for the green industrial revolution has been mobilised. More than £5.8 billion of foreign investment in green projects has also been secured since the launch, along with at least 56,000 jobs in the UK’s clean industries.
The recently-published Net Zero Strategy builds on the Ten Point Plan and sets out the Government’s long-term plan to finish the job of cutting emissions by 2050. I welcome that the strategy includes details on how the Government will build a secure, home-grown energy sector which ends the UK's dependency on volatile foreign gas prices, which will help protect consumers and businesses.
At the same time, the Environment Act 2021 has passed which protects and improves the environment for future generations, enshrining in law environmental principles and legally-binding targets.
The next decade will be decisive and every country, government, business and citizen must come together to tackle this huge threat to our planet.
Climate change is an issue that affects us all. I believe it is important for the Island to be able to attract green Tidal energy projects and I have spoken to Ministers about this on several occasions.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.