A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for COP26 Contents

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Formal minutes

Thursday 15 April 2021

Members present:

Tom Tugendhat, in the Chair

Chris Bryant	Henry Smith
Stewart Malcolm McDonald	Royston Smith
Bob Seely	Graham Stringer

Draft Report (A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for COP26), proposed by the Chair, brought up and read.

Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.

Paragraphs 1 to 8 read and agreed to.

Motion made, to leave out paragraphs 9, 10 and 11 and insert the following new paragraph:

“The United Nations consulted 9.7m people from across the world who were asked to rank their priorities out of 16 options: Education came top, Action on Climate Change came 16th. It is therefore an absurd pretence for the Government to make Climate Change its number one priority. COP26 is taking place in the light of the failure of the United Nations’ framework convention on Climate Change to halt the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In fact, at the present time there are 350 coal-fired power stations under construction in the world. More than half of these are in China (184). It is farcical for China to be considered a developing country in this process. If the United Nations and the major carbon dioxide emitters are serious about reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, then the top 10 emitters should negotiate a legally binding agreement on targets for reduction. The COP process is a contemptuous mockery of a serious objective. There is no reason for 30,000 political activists to fly in from around the globe, putting even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere”—(Graham Stringer.)

Question put, That the new paragraph be read a second time.

The Committee divided.

Ayes, 1	Noes, 4
Graham Stringer	Chris Bryant
	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
	Bob Seely
	Henry Smith

Paragraph accordingly disagreed to.

Paragraphs 9 to 36 read and agreed to.

Summary agreed to.

Question put, That the Report be the Seventh Report of the Committee to the House.

The Committee divided.

Ayes, 5	Noes, 1
Chris Bryant	Graham Stringer
Stewart Malcolm McDonald
Bob Seely
Henry Smith
Royston Smith

Question accordingly agreed to.

Resolved, That the Report be the Seventh Report of the Committee to the House.

Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House.

Ordered, That embargoed copies of the Report be made available in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 134.

[Adjourned till Tuesday 20 April at 1.45pm