The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today published the results of its inquiry into the adequacy of the current structure and operation of government in dealing with the challenge posed by climate change. The Committee is calling for the creation of a new post of climate change minister.

At the launch of its inquiry in April this year, the Committee said that the challenge posed by climate change required an unprecedented level of cross-departmental activity.  The EAC has concluded  that over the past decade the Government has failed to rise fully to the domestic challenge of climate change and that its likely failure to reach its domestic target on reducing CO2 emissions is bad both in terms of the actual release of greenhouse gases and the damaging impact this will have on the UK’s international leadership role in reaching a post-Kyoto agreement

According to the Committee, the process used by the Government to address climate change has led to a confusing framework that has not promoted effective action on reducing emissions.  The EAC have recommended that a strategic review of Government action should be undertaken to ensure that the leadership and responsibility for the development and delivery of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies is clear. The Committee also recommend the development of a new long-term policy framework, including an impact policy framework, to help the UK to adapt to the future impacts of climate change, commenting that

“This will include the use of scenarios to identify those areas in 2050 likely to suffer from the negative impacts of climate change, such as flooding or water shortages, and use this information to inform appropriate planning policies. This is particularly important given the Government’s plans dramatically to increase house building, especially in light of recent floods. It would be disastrous if as a result of inappropriate planning today these new developments become the climate slums of tomorrow.”

The committee is calling for the creation of a powerful single climate change minister to be based in the Cabinet Office to drive forward climate change policy and cut inter-departmental conflict. The MPs also said that current skill shortages in climate change issues in the civil service would hamper attempts to move the UK to a low carbon economy and that these should also be addressed.

In a separate Report last week on the effectiveness of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the Committee reiterated its concerns about the Government’s presentation of the purchase of carbon credits by the UK as being, in practice, synonymous with reducing emissions within the UK, commenting that

“Buying emissions credits from other countries does not necessarily translate into cutting emissions, at home or abroad…..It is widely believed that Phase I of the EU ETS has seen an over-allocation of carbon allowances. Buying allowances in these circumstances has been described as “buying hot air”.

The Committee believe it is especially important to get emissions trading reporting right at this stage given the Government’s plans, under the forthcoming Climate Change Bill, to introduce a national carbon budgeting system. In the Committee’s view the proposed system appears to place a significant emphasis on the use of international emissions trading in order to meet future carbon reduction milestones for the UK and  that

“ a lack of transparency in reporting….might help to give a falsely reassuring picture of progress against [the Government’s] domestic CO2 target within the UK.”