Campaign Response: Tackling Climate Change

I have been contacted by constituents about Tackling Climate Change.

As the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South, I have included below my response:

I want to take this opportunity to share with you the work that this Government has been doing to tackle Climate Change and the work that I have been doing in my Ministerial role surrounding COP26.

The UK has a proud record on climate action. We were the first major economy to legislate to achieve net zero by 2050. That is why I fully welcome the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan which will allow the UK to forge ahead in eradicating the UK’s contribution to climate change.

Also, the Government's Net Zero Strategy builds on the Ten Point Plan and sets out a clear path for the changes needed to secure our energy, create jobs and new industries, and end the UK's contribution to climate change. This will allow the United Kingdom to rapidly cut carbon emissions, while creating new jobs, new technologies and future-proof industries that will generate economic growth for decades to come.

On 27 October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced further funding towards our fight against climate change in his 2021 Budget. He announced £12.5m of further spending to support Net Zero, taking the Nature for Climate Fund to £725m. The Chancellor also announced £250m of new funding to halt biodiversity loss, improve access to green spaces and fund free food waste collections in every area from 2025.

At COP26, the UK hosted world leaders, climate experts, business leaders and citizens to agree ambitious action 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. I am glad that figure is now at around 90 per cent.

I was strongly encouraged by the progress and agreements achieved at COP26. The Glasgow 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.

As included in the plan, the UK will produce enough offshore wind to power every home, quadrupling how much we currently produce to 40GW by 2030, thereby supporting up to 60,000 jobs. The Government will work with industry and aim to generate 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for industry, transport, power and homes.

In addition, the Government aims to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade. The UK will also become a world leader in carbon capture technology to store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target to remove 10MT of carbon dioxide by 2030, equivalent to all emission of the industrial Humber today, through £200 million investment.

Finally, from £525 million investment in nuclear as a clean energy source this will develop the next generation of small and advanced reactors which could support 10,000 jobs.

This is alongside a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028, £1 billion of funding to make our schools, hospitals and homes more energy efficient, planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year, promoting and investing in zero-emission transport and £20 million to develop clean maritime technology.

As I am sure you are aware, this is in addition to a pledge to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, while the sale of some hybrid cars and vans will continue until 2035.