Climate Change Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 158: 158: Clause 28, page 15, line 11, at end insert— ““( ) The Committee’s report must also set out the Committee’s views on the programme for adaptation to climate change published by the Secretary of State under section 49 and its implementation, and any further action required as part of the programme.”” The noble Lord said: Our amendments seek to have adaptation issues included in the report on progress. It is illogical to focus the report purely on meeting the budgets for carbon emissions. If the intention is to get an accurate picture of our progress towards stopping climate change, we need to have a real picture of the effects of our proposals and the effects of climate change on the environment. Meeting the budget, although important, is not the only yardstick by which our attempt to save the environment should be judged. It is important that the report has some regard for the fact that proposals that are meeting the budgets might also be damaging the environment in other ways. It should be the aim of the annual report to monitor our progress in a more holistic fashion. If proposals to reduce carbon emissions are having a negative effect on the environment in other ways, this can be stopped only if it is monitored and reported on. Admittedly, this is not as easy to measure as carbon emissions. However, it is still important to include the more wide-ranging effects of our proposals to ensure that all aspects of climate change are being addressed. If they are not, we risk hearing yearly a false picture of our attempts to safeguard the environment. We should not forget that stopping global warming must not come at the price of ruining the environment in other ways. As we on this side of the Chamber have mentioned before, the deforestation of the rainforests for biofuels is a perfect example of the way in which even well intentioned attempts to stop climate change might be counterproductive. We intend through our amendments to avoid this sort of tunnel vision, and thus think that it is important to include in the report consideration of the adaptation to climate change and proposals to stop it. With that in mind, I beg to move.