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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

My noble friend Lord Livsey reminds me—and I repeat it to the Committee—that, even if we were tempted by the noble Lord, Lord Judd, to include something about combating climate change, the fact is that climate change is already happening. Therefore, this is also an issue of combating the threats and adapting to them. The work carried out by the CEH, the Biological Records Centre and the UK Phenology Network was all about recording that change and trying to interpret what it means. That is why such work is so important. Even if we could stop climate change now, the effects would still be felt decades into the future. Therefore, it is critical that the Government consider this matter.