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Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 January 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Thursday, 8 January 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the net zero targets for the Ministry of Defence and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

Answer

The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008, is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.

Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK Government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities.

For the Ministry of Defence, guidance was published by the last Government in the 2021 Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach which set a target of reducing emissions from its built estate by at least 30% by 2025.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
101477
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Ministry of Defence Carbon emissions
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk