Climate Change Bill [HL]

My Lords, Amendment No. 122 is very significant. There is much appreciation on these Benches for the Minister’s decision to introduce the amendment and for the inclusion of the words ““at national and international level””. The Bill will now read that, "““the Committee … has experience in or knowledge of … climate change policy, at national and international level and in particular social impacts of such policy””." On issues of climate change no nation is an island, not even this island nation. The national and international cannot be divorced. What happens in one country has an impact on another, and the choices of one people are the consequences for another. That is why tackling climate change is a global issue and why international agreements are the only way forward. It is vital to recognise this in the Bill, and the Government are to be congratulated on recognising that at Committee stage. It is of major significance that the amendment links the phrase ““at international level”” to the phrase ““social impact””. The Bill on climate change now recognises the reality of what is happening in other parts of the world, places that are already devastated by the changes in climate for which people were not prepared. Last week, the Minister resisted the amendment on poverty reduction, saying—and I paraphrase—that this point is implicit in other parts of the Bill. He is right, and here it is, ““the social impacts”” at ““international level””. This draws attention to issues of poverty in other parts of the world. Like other Members of your Lordships’ House, I welcome the Government’s speed in announcing the six members of the Committee on Climate Change. It has been good to have the noble Lord, Lord Turner, in his place this afternoon. The Minister said that he would do this by Report, and he has. However, the final paragraph of the press release announcing the membership of the committee, states: "““We are very committed to ensuring that all areas of expertise set out in the Bill are represented within the Committee””." The press release then lists these as, "““climate science and policy, economics, business competitiveness and financial management””." There is no mention in the press release of social impacts at international level. Will the Minister assure us that, with the passing of this amendment, this area of expertise—namely, social impacts at an international level—will be explicitly added to the committee? Before I sit down, perhaps I may draw attention to the new strategic framework from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which, in a section headed ““Promote a low carbon, high growth, global economy””, says that its intention is to, "““increase international commitment to an open economy and achieving the Millennium Development Goals””." That is in a section on the low-carbon global economy. We on these Benches welcome this strategic framework published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We believe that this government amendment to the Bill will indeed give the committee the opportunity to have before it this strategic framework and to advise the Government further on how the millennium development goals can be achieved as they pursue issues of the social impacts at an international level. I support the amendment.