The UK is delivering on our commitment to spend £11.6 billion International Climate Finance (ICF) between financial year 2021/2022 and financial year 2025/2026, including £3 billion on development solutions that protect and restore nature. We are fully committed to ensuring that finance flows to the local level and are working on systems to increase local actors' role in development decision making. In addition, we have committed £100 million to delivering the aims and objectives of the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance which includes bringing together bilateral and multilateral providers, climate funds and recipient countries to ensure that climate finance reaches where it's most urgently needed and supports the most vulnerable populations.

UK International Climate Finance (ICF) reaches those most in need and we are committed to doubling our ICF to £11.6bn over the next five years. In our adaptation programming we prioritise locally-led action with a strong grounding in the local context and needs, targeting marginalised groups. We have also committed to increasing gender-responsiveness of climate finance through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, which we are working to champion through our COP Presidency.

DFID funds the development of new crop varieties which are high yielding, climate and disease resilient, and have improved nutritional value. This includes flood tolerant rice that reduces risks for 10 million smallholders in South Asia, and drought tolerant maize that delivers more stable yields under climate stress being grown by 3 million households in Africa. DFID also supports the development and delivery of biofortified crops, which are conventionally bred with higher levels of zinc, iron and Vitamin A, as well as climate-resilient traits such as drought and pest tolerance. By 2018, DFID had reached over 8 million households with these climate-resilient and nutritious crops such as high iron beans and pearl millet, and orange sweet potato (high in Vitamin A).

DFID plans to reach 13.5 million households in countries with high levels of nutrition insecurity by 2022 with these new biofortified crops. DFID tracks outcomes closely through its international research partners, and invests in the generation of high quality evidence to measure impact and cost-effectiveness of such interventions.

A Climate Resilience Delivery Plan has been developed to improve the implementation of climate resilience across the estate. The plan aims to ensure that defence infrastructure and the estate is assessed against the risks presented by our changing climate.

Initial focus has been on incorporating climate risk as part of overall risk management. The Climate Impacts Risk Assessment Methodology is the Ministry of Defence's key tool for improving climate resilience of the estate.

The Environment Agency estimates there are 2.7 million properties at risk of river and coastal flooding, 3 million properties at risk of surface water flooding and some 660,000 properties at risk from all sources: river, coastal and surface water. The report can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-risk-management-national-report

As set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, Defra publishes the Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years which highlights the climate risks requiring further action in the UK over the next five years. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 Evidence Report provides an assessment of future flood and other risks and can be found at https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/).

Later this year, the Government will publish, with the Met Office, an updated set of UK Climate Projections – UKCP18. This will help the Government, businesses and the public understand the future climate and enable them to make climate-resilient decisions.

The Government is committed to addressing the risks and tackling the effects from climate change.

Climate adaptation is integrated throughout policies and programmes across Government.

As set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, Defra publishes the Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years which highlights the climate risks requiring further action in the UK over the next five years. This is followed by the National Adaptation Programme which provides a common framework under which all Departments work together to demonstrate how the Government will address those risks and increase the nation’s resilience to climate change. The most recent National Adaptation Programme was published in July 2018.

Later this year the Government will publish, with the Met Office, an updated set of UK Climate Projections. This will be a key tool to help the Government, businesses and the public understand the future climate and enable them to make climate-resilient decisions.

The UK has been a leader in this area for more than a decade and will continue being one with clear and strong deliverables.

Civil authorities and emergency services provide the first response to crises, emergencies and/or major incidents within the UK. Other Government Departments or civil authorities request military assistance when they require additional or niche capabilities. The Ministry of Defence engages closely with other Government Departments to ensure that Defence is prepared to provide appropriate, timely and effective military support at the local, regional and national level to potential emergency events such as extreme weather.

The policy and doctrine for military aid to civil authorities can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2015-to-2020-government-policy-military-aid-to-the-civil-authorities-for-activities-in-the-uk/2015-to-2020-government-policy-military-aid-to-the-civil-authorities-for-activities-in-the-uk

Previous support includes flood mitigation during the Thames Valley flood in 2013-14; flood relief efforts across the north of England following Storms Desmond and Eva in December 2015/January 2016 and more recently, the period of extreme cold and snow in February/March 2018.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has previously provided, and continues to provide, civil authorities with military support across the UK under military aid to civil authorities (MACA). Defence maintains a cadre of military personnel and capabilities which can be used in the wider Government response to emergencies including, but not limited to, those related to climate change.

The MOD ensures that Defence personnel are suitably trained and equipped to respond to a wide variety of potential incidents. This includes incidents in the UK but also Defence support to Humanitarian and Disaster Relief activities globally. Defence planning staffs are well-versed, trained and practised in the principles of planning to ensure Defence can continue to meet its specific strategic objectives.

The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.

The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.

The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.

The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.

The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.

The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.

The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.

The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.

The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Government to produce, every five years, an assessment of the risks to the United Kingdom arising from current and predicted climate change. Government published its second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2017 which endorses six priority risk areas identified by the independent evidence report produced by the Adaptation Sub-Committee in July 2016. This included risks to domestic and international food production and trade and potential opportunities from long-term, climate-related changes in global food production.

The CCRA notes a number of potential risks to UK agricultural production arising from, for example, vulnerability to water shortages, pests and disease, and extreme weather events. The report also observes that warmer weather and longer growing seasons may improve agricultural productivity.

The second National Adaptation Programme, published in July 2018, sets out how we aim to tackle the risks to domestic and international food production and trade that England is facing from a changing climate. For example, Government’s commitment to review and publish the updated UK Food Security Assessment.

The Government is committed to taking action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of future agriculture policy, the new environmental land management system will use public money for the provision of public goods, including supporting farmers and other land managers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990, with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.

The 2007 Stern Review concluded that the impacts of unmitigated climate change could be equivalent to losing 5-20% of global GDP, with the higher range accounting for a wide range of impacts and risks. A range of scientific evidence also makes clear that the risks and impacts could be severe, with some potentially catastrophic. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report and 1.5°C Special Report show that human-caused climate change has had widespread impacts on human and natural systems, for example, heatwaves are longer, hotter, and more frequent, and the sea-level is rising at a rate of 2.6 – 2.9 millimetres per year.

The UK’s 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) finds that climate change poses multiple risks to the UK. Communities, businesses and infrastructure will be affected by flooding and coastal change, domestic and international food production and trade could be impacted, and our natural capital (including ecosystems, soils and biodiversity) will be at risk. People’s health, wellbeing and productivity will be at risk from high temperatures, and people, animals and plants will be at risk from new and emerging pests and diseases. The CCRA also identified that there may be economic opportunities for UK business from an increase in global demand for adaptation-related goods and services like engineering and insurance.

DFID helps developing countries establish a secure and sustainable energy supply, supporting their economic growth and poverty reduction. DFID is not providing any bilateral assistance for coal-fired power. The Government supports multilateral organisations such as the World Bank to provide assistance for unabated coal-fired power projects overseas only in exceptional circumstances in the poorest countries where there is no feasible alternative. We do however support proposals for financing the additional costs of facilities fully deploying carbon capture and storage technologies.

The ‘Speak Up for the Love of’ climate lobby on the 17 June will be a significant opportunity for people’s voices to be heard on the issue of climate change.

Campaigning matters – as seen through years of campaigning against apartheid, cancelling debt, Make Poverty History, and recent food campaigns, when people come together in the right spirit, change can happen.

I welcome next week’s climate lobby – MPs will be listening, and stand ready to act. My noble friend Lord Bourne and I will be engaging with civil society and businesses throughout the day to discuss the UK’s priorities for a climate deal in Paris.

Securing a global climate deal at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Paris this year is vital to give a clear signal to businesses and investors that Governments are committed to delivering a global low carbon economy. I am pleased the G7 prioritised an ambitious climate package at this year’s Summit, including strong language on the need for a deal in Paris, finance and future ambition. On 10 June, I too, will reiterate the significance of an ambitious deal during debate of the Opposition Day motion on climate change at the House of Commons.