Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 November 2005. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Greenhouse Gasses

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research the Government have commissioned into the viability of an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that does not contain binding targets.

Answer: Currently no such research has been commissioned by this Government. As yet, there have been no formal intergovernmental discussions of the design of a future commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. The UK will chair the EU at the UN climate change conference at the end of this year at which the first formal discussion will take place when the parties of the Kyoto Protocol meet for the first time.The EU is also looking forward to using this discussion to initiate a process among all parties to explore how to implement better the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Following this conference, next year we plan to start discussions to prepare the UK position on further action.The UK Government and the EU want to build on the Kyoto Protocol and its key elements such as targets and timetables, monitoring and reporting, compliance and the flexibility mechanisms for the period after 2012. At the March meeting of the European Council of Ministers, the European Heads of Government stated that the EU looks forward to exploring with other parties strategies for achieving necessary emission reductions and believes that in this context, reduction pathways for the group of developed countries in the order of 15 to 30 per cent. by 2020, compared to the baseline envisaged in the Kyoto Protocol and in the spirit of the conclusions of the Environment Council should be considered.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 27913; 439 c1060W;439 c1060W
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Air pollution Climate change International cooperation EU action Pollution control Research Climate Change Convention
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk