The comments made by Rebecca Pow, the Floods Minister, on 16 February 2022.
This vital £7 million in funding will bring the Isle of Wight coastal defence scheme one step closer to beginning construction, and once completed will see more than 3,700 island homes and businesses better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.
This funding is just one part of our record £5.2 billion investment to better protect hundreds of thousands of properties across England.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 15 February 2022.
I’ve committed to making London net zero by 2030, faster than any other comparable city. We are facing a pivotal moment in our efforts to tackle the triple dangers of toxic air pollution, climate change and congestion to the health of Londoners and wider society. I also want London to be a zero-pollution city and have expanded our Ultra Low Emission Zone to cover all of inner London so that far fewer children have to grow up breathing toxic air.
I have been clear that climate action and our economic recovery must go hand in hand. This will require record investment and coordinated action from everyone – cities, businesses, national governments and communities – to truly turn the tide. That is why I am leading the way by committing £90 million to help unlock more than £500 million of private investment through green bonds to support low carbon projects and create the green jobs that will help make our target of a zero-carbon capital a reality by the end of this decade.
The speech made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 11 February 2022.
Standing on a Cornish beach with President Macron last summer, one could not help but be struck by the majesty of the ocean before us, and its importance to all our lives.
Because the nations of the world are not separated by seas and oceans – we are bound together by them.
Whatever our stage of development, whatever our system of government, the same briny waters lap at all our shores.
And we all have a duty to help them thrive.
It’s a duty the UK takes extremely seriously.
It’s why we’ve committed half a billion pounds to help developing nations protect their seas and coasts.
Why we’ve thrown a Blue Belt around 2.5 million square miles of ocean.
And why, I can announce today, the UK will be joining the High Ambition Coalition on Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction.
Because it’s vital that we all step up and meet our obligations to the marine environment under the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
And that won’t happen unless we agree a treaty to protect the vast expanse of water
– something like 60 per cent of it –
that falls beyond the borders of any one nation.
At COP26, I stressed the need for the world to raise its ambitions with respect to our oceans.
So I’m delighted that President Macron has convened this summit.
And I hope it kicks off a year in which the world comes together in support of the seas that surround us, the flora and fauna within, and everyone around the world whose livelihoods depend on thriving, clean, and sustainable oceans.
The statement made by Kwasi Kwarteng, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2022.
Since 2014 the contracts for difference scheme has been at the heart of our efforts to diversify and decarbonise our power system. Since 2010 we have increased the percentage of power generated from renewables from 7% to 43%, creating thousands of high-skilled jobs and bringing new industries to our former industrial heartlands.
To date contracts for difference has awarded contracts totalling almost 16GW of new renewable electricity capacity across multiple technologies. Since the first competitive allocation round (AR1), it has contributed to a more than 60% reduction in the per unit price of offshore wind, with substantial benefits for consumers. We opened our latest allocation round (AR4) on 13 December 2021. It is our largest yet, with an ambition to procure more new generating capacity than the last three rounds combined.
We want to further accelerate our low carbon power generation, making the UK less reliant on volatile fossil fuels and creating more home-grown power. This will help us to deliver a fully decarbonised electricity system by 2035.
To do this we set out an ambition to accelerate the deployment of low-cost renewable generation by undertaking a review of the frequency of the contracts for difference allocation rounds. The review of allocation round frequency has now concluded.
I have decided to increase the frequency of the allocation rounds to every year, from around every two years as it is currently. The next allocation round, AR5, will be brought forward to March 2023 and it is our intention that the subsequent allocation rounds will be held every 12 months in the following years.
In parallel, we have recently opened a consultation on changes to make AR5 more effective and forward-looking, particularly on the application process for supply chain plans.
Our review suggests that the move to more frequent contracts for difference allocation rounds is overwhelmingly supported by industry. Increasing the frequency of allocation rounds will help to encourage low carbon electricity generation, which may also encourage investment in supply chains, and benefit the UK in the longer term not least by protecting consumers from potentially volatile global markets.
These more frequent rounds will also support the delivery of those renewable technologies, such as onshore wind, offshore wind, and solar PV, which are key to decarbonising the power sector, creating jobs and bringing even more investment to our former industrial heartlands. This will sit alongside the Government’s commitment to bring forward another large-scale nuclear power plant this Parliament.
The contracts for difference scheme has been successful in deploying low-carbon generation and reducing the cost of capital for renewable technologies. As more renewables are added to the system, we will continue to consider how the scheme could evolve over the longer term to ensure it reflects the impact of renewables on the wider system, including total system costs.
The comments made by Rebecca Pow, the Environment Minister, on 10 January 2022.
The pandemic has reinforced how much our homes, communities and outdoor spaces mean to us. Our commitment to protecting and enhancing our natural world can and must go hand in hand with our ambition to build more high quality homes.
Our plans to make sure new developments better protect and enhance wildlife and nature will create better places for people to live and work, and it will ensure we leave our environment in a better state for future generations.
The comments made by George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, on 6 January 2022.
We want to see profitable farming businesses producing nutritious food, underpinning a growing rural economy, where nature is recovering and people have better access to it.
Through our new schemes, we are going to work with farmers and land managers to halt the decline in species, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, increase woodland, improve water and air quality and create more space for nature.
We are building these schemes together, and we are already working with over 3,000 farmers across the sector to test and trial our future approach. Farmers will be able to choose which scheme or combination of schemes works best for their business, and we will support them to do so.
The comments made on Twitter by the Wensum Woodlanders pressure group in Norfolk on 29 December 2021. The comments were made after Ordnance Survey put the future road on their mapping.
It might seem innocuous, just a bit of future mapping, but it creates a false impression of the planning status, and one that might influence public opinion ahead of a public consultation. Very poor of @OrdnanceSurvey – they need to hold their horses and remove this mapping!
The comments made by George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, on 27 December 2021.
A year on from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a positive picture is emerging for our fishing industry.
Today, we are announcing a £65 million infrastructure scheme which will allow us to modernise ports and harbours and increase capacity and efficiency at processing facilities. A £10 million fund will encourage new entrants into the processing, catching and aquaculture sectors, and train and upskill those in the industry.
We are committed to levelling up coastal communities across the UK, and this marks a period of rejuvenation for our fishing industry.
The comments made by George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, on 22 December 2021.
We have now concluded negotiations with the EU, setting catch levels for 2022. As an independent coastal State, we entered discussions representing the interests of the entire UK fishing industry and have secured certainty for the incoming year.
The balanced agreement made today provides a strong foundation as we seek to deliver more sustainable fisheries management, as set out in our landmark Fisheries Act.
The comments made by Rebecca Pow, the Environment Minister, on 19 December 2021.
Our peatlands are an incredibly valuable natural resource. They play a crucial role in locking up carbon, provide habitats for wildlife and help with flood mitigation.
The amateur gardening sector has made huge strides in reducing peat use and there are now more sustainable and good quality peat-free alternatives available than at any other time, so I am confident now is the right time to make the shift permanent.
Today’s consultation directly contributes towards the Government’s net zero carbon emissions target. The protection of our peatlands will also help us deliver on commitments in the 25 Year Environment Plan whilst also preserving these landscapes for future generations.