State of Climate and Nature 2025-07-14

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The Secretary of State declined to defend his plan for clean power by 2030 or the report from the National Energy System Operator. He asks why they are being given a longer statement than usual.

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Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

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Does the Secretary of State agree that the patriotic approach is to work together to cut emissions for financial, security, nature and climate reasons?

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I thank both the Energy Secretary and the Environment Secretary for today’s momentous statement.

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Welcomes the statement, particularly the emphasis on linking climate change and nature loss. Questions whether there will be a properly integrated spatial energy plan to protect valuable habitats like saltmarsh.

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Asks how many major greenhouse gas emitters have adopted similar legislation to the UK's Climate and Nature Bill.

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Expresses despair over the declining consensus on climate action and highlights China's investment in clean technologies.

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Challenges the Secretary of State on reneging on Labour's promise of £28 billion in green transition funding.

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Welcomes the statement as a measure that underscores commitment to clean energy despite the loss of cross-party consensus.

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Argues that reliance on imported gas is necessary due to ongoing energy demands and global emissions patterns.

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Expresses concern over job losses at Prax Lindsey oil refinery and seeks reassurance that this is not a result of moving towards clean energy.

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The hon. Gentleman raised concerns about the impact of climate change on farmers, mentioning extreme weather conditions and the need for a food security strategy. He questioned how the Secretary of State would help farmers be resilient against droughts and floods.

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The Minister was asked about potential restrictions on City of London finance to prevent it from bankrolling deforestation and unsustainable practices linked to cattle ranching and soy production.

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The Member asked whether the Secretary of State would support a sixth Government mission focused on protecting the British public from climate change impacts.

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The hon. Member inquired about steps being taken to prioritise grid connections for projects essential to decarbonising transport, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

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The Secretary was asked directly about the cost in cash terms of achieving net zero, who would pay these costs, and how much the UK’s effort would reduce global temperatures.

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The hon. Gentleman asked if there was a commitment to a just transition that protects jobs and prevents decarbonisation through de-industrialisation.

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The hon. Member questioned the share of flood defence budget allocated for surface flooding versus river flooding and asked about responsibilities between national/local government, developers, water companies, insurers, and householders.

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The Member thanked the Secretary of State for tackling climate and nature crises together, inquiring about support available for religious buildings wanting to install solar panels.

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The hon. Gentleman cited a report suggesting that achieving net zero could cost 21% of GDP, questioning whether this was balanced against risks.

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The hon. Gentleman asked the Secretary of State to recognise important work being done by community groups in his constituency on climate action.

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The Member inquired about leadership at COP30 to tackle climate misinformation and ensure collective action among international partners.

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As a sponsor of the Climate and Nature Bill, I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement this afternoon. He is right to highlight that this is a national crisis, and many of us across the House are right to point out that it cannot be ignored and that inaction has too great a cost, but he will be aware that the costs are politicising this issue for many people in this country. Legislation is before the House regarding where and how pension funds are invested. Can he assure the House that he is talking to Treasury and local government Ministers to ensure that the maximum amount from those pension funds—particularly, but not exclusively, the local government pension fund—can be invested in green energy projects? That will widen the investment base and therefore hopefully reduce costs, depoliticising the issue and resulting in the greening of our energy generation that we all want to see.

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I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement and the fact that my local hospital will have solar panels on it thanks to this Labour Government, saving thousands of pounds that can go directly back into frontline services. What more can he do to ensure that public buildings like hospitals and prisons have solar panels fitted so that we can lower costs and contribute to our climate goals?

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The statement from the Energy Secretary sounded like a desperate attempt to cover up his failure, but he will be aware that businesses are struggling with power bills that are bankrupting them and consumers are resisting the net zero demands to fly less, eat less meat and buy cars that they do not want. Does he not see a connection between what he says about young people’s anxiety and his disgraceful scare tactics today, all of which are to enable him to say that Britain is taking the lead? Since the Paris agreement, emissions have gone up by 30%, so he might be leading, but he does not have too many followers.

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The Secretary of State has been a global leader in this space for 20 years. We all know about the Climate Change Act 2008, but without his singular intervention at COP15 in Copenhagen, the world would not have agreed and would be on a worse climate trajectory today—the whole House needs to hear that. We now need significant afforestation and the repair of the world’s ecosystems—be they peat bogs, permafrost or seagrass—so what plans does he have to lead in that space at COP30 in Belém?

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Hosepipe bans rightly anger my constituents. The bans frustrate them and me because they speak to decades of failure to put in place provisions to prepare so that the changing climate is liveable for our children. How can people be expected to support large-scale house building, which those same children will need, when water companies fail to fix leaks, pollute our rivers and too often fail even to provide clean drinking water?

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I had the real pleasure of visiting York Road nursery school in my constituency this morning to celebrate its securing Eco-Schools green flag status—with distinction no less. As well as being a sobering reminder of my inability to hold the attention of four-year-olds for very long, it was a powerful reminder that future generations will bear the brunt of our failure to take this crisis seriously. The truth is that we do not have to look to the future to see the cost—my local farmers are beset by flooding, for example. We in Hitchin are already feeling the pain of the failure to take climate change and the nature crisis seriously and to tackle them head-on. What assurances can the Secretary of State give my constituents that we will not shy away from tackling climate change at source, and that we will invest in mitigation schemes to tackle the issues that we are already facing right across our towns and villages?

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Diolch, Madam Ddirprwy Lefarydd. Climate change is a huge threat to food security. In 2018, losses in the Welsh livestock sector due to extreme weather reached £175 million, which is equivalent to 9% of the total Welsh agricultural output. Farmers need support to protect their livestock and crops. Will the Secretary of State listen to the concerns of the farming unions about the removal of the ringfence for Welsh agricultural funding? It could mean less money for climate adaptations, at a time when they are most needed to safeguard food security.

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The Met Office report and the Climate Change Committee have made it clear that we are unprepared for climate change, with progress on food security and nature restoration either insufficient or limited. The Lang partnership in Curry Rivel has proudly championed regenerative farming and nature-friendly farming methods for more than 30 years. What discussions has the Secretary of State had with his colleagues in DEFRA to ensure that farmers like the Langs can farm productively and sustainably and be resilient to climate crisis?

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I thank my right hon. Friend for making such a pertinent statement when the planet is in such a critical condition. The BioYorkshire project will create 4,000 jobs, helping us to see a green transition but also ensuring that we have future agriculture at the highest level of science. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that this Government, unlike the last, fund that sufficiently so that we can see a real transition in farming and in other areas of climate-mitigating science?

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Switching to renewables is a top topic among employers; it will help to reduce the cost of their energy supply. Renewables companies tell me about the fantastic, well-paid jobs that are available. Climate security, environment security and energy security are national security. Does my right hon. Friend know a single reason why this is not a key mission to rebuild Britain and protect our planet for generations to come?

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As the Secretary of State outlined, the climate crisis is also a nature crisis, especially in nature-depleted cities such as London. In recognition of that, Ealing’s Labour council has imaginative plans for a new regional park from Horsenden hill in the north, to Warren farm in my constituency, creating new habitats, wetlands, and rewilded areas. Does the Secretary of State agree that this Government’s new nature recovery fund could help to support initiatives such as Ealing’s regional park, and that in contrast to the piecemeal approach of the previous Government, the fund will allow a more cohesive approach?

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Rugby borough council and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are hosting a “Nature in Focus” event this Sunday, and partnering together to buy trees for farmers to plant. In December 2024, my right hon. Friend joined me to visit the Urban&Civic-led Houlton development, where we saw Francis Jackson Homes fitting air-source heat pumps to its new build homes. We talked of our hope to go further, so does my right hon. Friend agree that through the future homes standard, which ensures that the vast majority of new builds will have solar panels, we are showing that a Labour Government and Labour-led councils believe in the concept of government and taking responsibility?

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Today’s Met Office report says that we need to put in place a highly localised network of rain gauges, as extreme rainfall can be very dangerous. In July 2021, Stockbridge in my constituency faced flooding after a torrential downpour one afternoon, following several days of soaring temperatures. A network of rain gauges will help to analyse the impact of climate change and also help communities such as Stockbridge to prepare. Will my right hon. Friend outline the Government’s plans in that regard?

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I welcome this Government’s focus on the urgency of the climate crisis, and I know that many climate activists in my constituency will as well, because the evidence is unequivocal: only sustained reductions in greenhouse gases will slow global warming. The UK has a special responsibility to show global leadership in this area.

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I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, particularly his encouragement for Members from across the House to support the Government’s efforts—and those of any future Government who maintain that commitment—to reach net zero by 2050. Does the Secretary of State agree that the announcement by the newly elected Reform county council in Kent that it will axe all investment in net zero is not only a betrayal of my constituents in Dartford and residents across Kent, but particularly of young people, who deserve to inherit a sustainable planet?

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When I visit schools in my constituency of Harlow, including the wonderful Freshwaters primary academy, and the Downs primary school, where one young child asked me about the declining number of blackbirds, the No. 1 issue that students raise is climate change. What would the Secretary of State say to young people in Harlow about the action he has taken to protect my constituents, who will face the cost of inaction?