Climate Change (Hansard, 31 October 2001)

§ Tony Baldry
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the climate change negotiations. [9281]

§ Mr. Meacher
Political agreement was reached between 177 countries on the implementation of the Kyoto protocol at the resumed Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn in July. This was a significant political achievement.
The Seventh Conference of the Parties is now taking place in Marrakesh (29 October-9 November). Our aim will be to complete the task of converting the Bonn agreement into detailed decisions. We should not underestimate the scale of this task, but I am optimistic agreement should be possible. It is vital that we maintain political momentum and the spirit of co-operation that was evident in Bonn. We hope that agreement in Marrakesh will pave the way for ratification and entry into force of the Kyoto protocol by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002.

§ David Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new initiatives she plans to assist British compliance with commitments under the Kyoto protocol. [9301]

§ Mr. Meacher
The UK's climate change programme, published in November 2000, sets out details of the policies and measures that the Government are introducing to meet the UK's target under the Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008–12 and to move towards our domestic goal to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. We estimate that these policies could reduce emissions by 23 per cent. by 2010. This is substantially beyond our Kyoto target.
The Government have been making progress with implementing the policies outlined in the programme. The UK's Third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was published on 30 October, provides an update of this progress. Copies of the Communication will be placed in the Library of each House.