Written question asked by Catherine West (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 May 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 May 2023 (named day). It was answered by Leo Docherty (Conservative) on Monday, 15 May 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Central Asia: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with his counterparts in Central Asian states on (a) climate cooperation, (b) reducing methane emissions and (c) reducing CO2 emissions.

Answer: We regularly engage on climate change and reducing emissions in Central Asia, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. For example, during his visit to Astana in March the Foreign Secretary signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kazakhstan to encourage collaboration in developing and applying hydrogen technology. The Minister for Europe has also raised climate issues in meetings with interlocutors from Central Asia, and we have dedicated officials based in the region who lead on climate and environmental matters for the UK. We provide funding to a number of projects in the region which aim to improve climate cooperation, and reduce the emissions produced by the Central Asian states.

Secondary information