Question
To ask the Secretary of Sate, what steps he plans to take ahead of COP26 to achieve the Government's (a) net zero target and (b) levelling-up agenda in the context of the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
Answer
The UK has achieved record clean growth - between 1990 and 2019, our economy grew by 78% while our emissions decreased by 44%, the fastest in the G7. The government has recently laid legislation for the UK’s sixth carbon budget, proposing a target which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. This marks a decisive step towards net zero by 2050 and builds on the series of ambitious plans we have announced since committing to net zero emissions in law, including through my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and our new UN climate target to reduce emissions in 2030 by at least 68% compared to 1990 levels – the highest reduction target made by a major economy to date.
Through the Ten Point Plan, our Energy White Paper and Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, we have set out concrete steps we will take to build back greener from the pandemic and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Ahead of COP26, we will bring forward further bold proposals, including a Net Zero Strategy, to cut emissions and create new jobs and industries across the whole country.
The Ten Point Plan announced our aim to quadruple the capacity of our offshore wind available to generate 40GW, including 1GW of floating offshore wind by 2030 - enough to power every home in the country. To do this we are investing £160 million for ports and infrastructure, which could support up to 60,000 jobs. The government is working with the offshore wind sector, through the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, to grow and strengthen a competitive UK based supply chain creating jobs around the UK.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
11th June 2021
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Question
What steps his Department is taking to support businesses to achieve an environmentally sustainable recovery from the covid-19 outbreak?
Answer
As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has said, we are determined to build back greener, and deliver millions of new green jobs. We are taking action to deliver on that commitment, including committing over £3 billion to reduce emissions from our buildings across the UK. There are an estimated 460,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chains across the country, and we want that to rise to 2 million by 2030.
Rt Hon Kwazi Kwarteng MP, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
10th November 2020
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