Climate and Nature at the heart of Decision-Making: Holding Government to Account on Net Zero, Aviation, and Housing Plans

28 Jan 2025

Last week’s crucial debate on the Climate and Nature Bill showed how vital it is to make climate and nature central to all decision-making.

This week, we put Secretary of State Ed Miliband in the hot seat at the Environment Audit Committee. I asked him directly: how can the Treasury's plans for major airport expansion align with our climate targets?

I also challenged him on how he plans to tackle the climate and nature crisis. He announced a new commitment to deliver an annual statement on the state of climate and nature to Parliament and the country – a step in the right direction, but actions speak louder than words.

With huge challenges like the push to build 1.5 million homes in five years, we must align these goals with our climate commitments. Yet, the Chancellor’s “growth at all costs” approach – stripping regulations and weakening safeguards – puts this at serious risk.

Ed Miliband stressed the need for cross-party consensus and engaging civil society. That’s a message the entire government must follow. Right now, Treasury announcements are raising alarm, with communities and environmental concerns seemingly sidelined.

The commitments made by the Secretary of State included:

  • Any expansion sought by UK airports must be justified within the legally binding framework passed by the 2008 Climate Change Act and “any aviation expansion will only be able to go ahead if it is consistent with our Carbon Budgets”.
  • The outcome of the upcoming Spending Review will reflect net zero commitments.
  • The Government will seek to find common ground on climate with the new US administration, recognising that US renewables investment increased during President Trump’s first term in office.
  • The Government will facilitate a “central role” for the Environmental Audit Committee in scrutiny of the Seventh Carbon Budget, once the Climate Change Committee’s advice to Government on the budget is published in February 2025. The Government is required to gain Parliamentary approval for its proposed budgetary level by June 2026, and is required to present a full delivery plan to Parliament thereafter.
  • Ministers are to make annual statements to Parliament on the Government’s assessment of the state of climate and nature, offering information on Government action and suggesting how members of the public can contribute emissions reductions and nature recovery.
  • Secondary legislation to  bring the UK’s contribution to international aviation and shipping emissions within the ambit of the Sixth Carbon Budget and subsequent budgets “is in hand” and “will happen”.
  • The Government intends to review and strengthen the UK’s current National Adaptation Programme for adaptation to climate change.
  • The Artificial Intelligence Energy Council is to consider the implications for water resources as well as power consumption in the establishment of new large scale AI data centres.

You can watch me speak at the Environment Audit Committee in the video below

 

 

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