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

1 item
15 Conclusion Eighth Report - Defence and Climate Cha… Deferred

Dual responsibilities for MoD climate change director hinder urgent decarbonisation efforts.

Given increasing scientific concerns around failing to hold to the 1.5° limit on warming and the need for Defence to transition from establishing a comprehensive baseline of carbon emissions in Epoch 1 to significantly reducing emissions in Epoch 2, having the climate change director also responsible for the Union and …

Government response. The government's response for this conclusion consists only of a page reference and provides no substantive comment on the committee's observation that the dual responsibility of the climate change director may be too distracting.
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 ↗