§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have, or any other Government with forces in the Gulf area has, assessed the possible environmental effects of war in that area (including the destruction of oil installations, nuclear plants, chemical installations) as implied by the former Prime Minister's oral answer in the House of Commons (Official Report, 13th November col. 446); and if so, what their assessments are, and how they differ from King Hussein's
§ Baroness BlatchIt is impossible to make a full and reliable assessment. However, we do not believe that there would be environmental damage on the scale some have predicted. In particular, it is estimated that there would only be a small addition to current fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide. In any case, the way to avoid such consequences would be for Saddam Hussein to comply with the United Nations resolutions and withdraw from Kuwait.