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Select Committee · Defence Committee

Defence and Climate Change

Status: Closed Opened: 12 May 2022 Closed: 11 Dec 2023 4 recommendations 12 conclusions 1 report

What needs to be done to achieve the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy’s number one international priority of meeting climate change and biodiversity loss commitments over the next decade? What will be the impacts of climate change on future conflict and how are UK Armed Forces adapting to them? Are UK …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eighth Report - Defence and Climate Change HC 179 18 Aug 2023 16 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
7 Conclusion Eighth Report - Defence and Climate Cha… Acknowledged

UK's potential global leadership role in military climate adaptation requires significant resources.

Undertaking the role of global leader is not easy. Rear Admiral Paul Beattie, Director Naval Staff, Royal Navy, recently described the measures necessary for climate change adaption in the military as the “… biggest change programme in defence”. He noted that, unusually for technology, countries “can’t look to the US” …

Government response. The government acknowledges NATO's new methodology for greenhouse gas emissions and commits to remaining actively engaged with NATO initiatives to influence and share experiences on emissions data collection and improvement.
Ministry of Defence
14 Conclusion Eighth Report - Defence and Climate Cha… Acknowledged

Require Defence organisations to report emissions separately and set 5-year reduction targets.

Nor do the various organisations within Defence separately report their emissions publicly, so gauging progress towards their targets is not yet possible. Top-Level Budget holders and other significant enabling organisations should report their emissions separately starting with the 2023–24 Annual Report & Accounts, with emission reduction targets ideally set over …

Government response. The government commits to assessing whether Top Level Budget holder and Enabling Organisations' emissions should also be reported as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, as part of its ongoing commitment to improve emissions reporting.
Ministry of Defence

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
23 May 2023 John Kerry · Executive Office of the President of the United States View ↗
21 Mar 2023 Baroness Annabel Goldie, Minister of State, Brig. Adrian Reilly · Ministry of Defence, James Clare · Ministry of Defence, Lt. Gen. Richard Wardlaw OBE · Ministry of Defence, Major General Robert Walton-Knight · Ministry of Defence, Nick Gurr · Ministry of Defence, Shimon Fhima · Ministry of Defence View ↗
6 Mar 2023 David Beasley · UN World Food Programme View ↗
28 Feb 2023 Dr Tim Clack · Climate Change and (In)security Project, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Dr Andrew Sharpe · Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research (CHACR) View ↗
24 Jan 2023 Dr Stuart Parkinson · Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), Linsey Cottrell · The Conflict and Environment Observatory View ↗
22 Nov 2022 Lt. Gen. Nugee (Rtd), Lead of Ministry of Defence’s 2021 Climate Change and Sustainability Review View ↗