Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Not Addressed
Publish site-specific evidence of environmental improvements when mitigation hierarchy has not been applied.
Recommendation
Whilst accepting the Minister and NE’s assurance that the MH has remained in place, and would only be set aside where doing so would demonstrably benefit nature, we urge the Government and NE to publish site-specific evidence of the environmental improvements in all occasions where the MH has not been applied. This transparency is necessary to build confidence that nature a) has not been depleted and b) that it is benefitting from this alternative approach. (Recommendation, Paragraph 98)
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses its commitment to net zero, the challenge of embodied carbon, and the assessment of evidence for reducing emissions, but does not address the recommendation to publish site-specific evidence of environmental improvements where the Mitigation Hierarchy has not been applied.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
76. The Government is committed to the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target and recognises that embodied carbon can account for a significant portion of a building’s whole life carbon emissions. We know that addressing embodied carbon is a challenge across the built environment and construction supply chains. We commissioned research to help improve understanding of the data currently available on embodied carbon and identify where gaps and challenges lie. A report from this research was published to share valuable insights with industry and we hope the this will support those who want to take action. The Government continues to assess the evidence to consider the best way forward for reducing embodied carbon emissions in new buildings. 77. The Government keeps all taxes under review and welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy such as these, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.