Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
We welcome the Government’s commitment to make climate change its number one international priority this...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s commitment to make climate change its number one international priority this year, but the responsibility of the UK does not end when COP26 concludes. The UK must continue its efforts as the torchbearer for the next COP, and beyond, to continue to ratchet up ambition on climate change. The FCDO and the UK’s diplomatic network will have a key role to play in this process. In order to ensure a successful legacy for the UK’s COP Presidency, we recommend that the FCDO publishes an environmental diplomacy strategy, defining the Department’s foreign policy aims for the UK’s COP26 Presidency and beyond, and that it establishes a unit that can support future presidencies. The UK must commit to working closely with the African COP27 Presidency, including with the loan of staff and expertise, to sustain momentum on global climate action; particularly on adaptation, resilience, finance and loss and damage. Without a future commitment Glasgow risks being a one-off jamboree of voice and worry, changing nothing but airmiles. (Paragraph 11) Diplomacy
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
3.1 The Government has set out in the Integrated Review its commitment to make tackling climate change and biodiversity loss the UK’s number one international priority in 2021 and beyond. Delivering on this commitment will require a whole-of-Government approach and we are working with departments on a strategy to operationalise the climate and biodiversity elements of the IR. We will update the FAC in due course. The UK will assume the presidency of COP in November 2021 for a year, and will continue to drive ambition globally in the years after our presidency through a range of activities. 3.2 We are working to embed climate and environmental considerations in the full range of the UK’s international work, notably in our diplomatic and development efforts. Alongside our diplomatic engagement to deliver a successful COP26, we are doubling the UK’s international climate finance and working to align all UK official development assistance (ODA) with the Paris climate agreement and wider environmental safeguards, including by phasing out support for fossil fuels. These efforts, alongside our domestic commitment to ‘net zero’ and Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, are significant evidence of the UK’s commitment to action and underpin our international leadership in this space. 3.3 We will continue to use the UK’s diplomatic convening power after COP26, working closely with the African COP27 Presidency and those that follow, to deliver on the commitments made at COP26. Ensuring we have the staff and expertise in place will be important for doing so. Specific decisions on resourcing and structures beyond this year will be taken as part of the next Spending Review, and we will set out our plans thereafter. 4 First Special Report of Session 2021–22