Thank you for contacting me about climate change and weather.
As the first major economy to legislate to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the UK is a world leader when it comes to tackling climate change and the Government believes that it is important that we as a country continue to take action to help mitigate its effects, which include flooding, coastal erosion and other issues caused by extreme weather.
Ministers believe that, by achieving net zero, the UK will have eliminated its contribution to climate change, which as of December 2019 accounted for 1.2 per cent of global emissions and that this will encourage many other countries to hopefully follow our ambition, particularly those with a much larger share of global emissions, such as China which accounted for nearly 30 per cent. Since 1990 the UK economy has grown by 75 per cent while cutting emissions by nearly 48 per cent.
For the first time, heeding calls from civil society and countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, countries agreed action on phasing down fossil fuels at COP26. In addition, more public and private finance has been mobilised to support climate action in developing countries than ever before and the global financial system is aligning behind a net zero world. New pledges made at COP26 bring developed countries closer to meeting the $100 billion annual climate finance target next year and ensure they will exceed it after that, as well as mobilising billions in private finance and green investment.
Methane is said to be the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon and can warm the atmosphere 80 times as fast as carbon dioxide. There is no doubt that cutting these emissions is vital to tackling climate change and reaching net zero. The new Global Methane Pledge was secured at COP26, with targets to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by the end of the decade, signed by 105 countries covering half of the top 30 big methane emitters around the world. The pledge covers countries which emit nearly half of all methane and make up 70 per cent of global GDP. This equates to a potential of 0.2 degrees warming by 2050 avoided.
Investment in flood defences has been spread across every region in England. The £2.6 billion six-year programme of work dedicated to improving flood and coastal defences has exceeded its original targets, with over 314,000 homes now better protected from flooding.
The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan sets out how a record £5.2 billion of investment over the next six years will be spent, including more than £860 million in 2021-22 on boosting the design and construction of more than 1,000 flooding alleviation schemes. I would strongly urge all of my constituents to check their flood risk online and follow updates from the Environment Agency when there is a flood risk.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
July 2023