Opposition Day — Climate Change Risk Assessment and Flooding — 15 Dec 2015 at 15:49

The majority of MPs voted against instituting a thorough climate risk assessment that considers the implications of the Paris Summit for future flood risk.

The motion rejected by the majority of MPs taking part in this vote was:

• That this House
• applauds the courage and tirelessness of the UK’s emergency services, Armed Forces and volunteers who are working day and night to protect people from the damaging floods;
• condemns the reckless cuts to flood defence funding made by the Government, which have left communities more vulnerable to extreme weather;
• notes that 600 people were evacuated from their homes in Hawick due to flooding, and hopes the Scottish Government will urgently invest additional funds to enhance flood protection schemes in Scotland;
• further notes the increasing frequency and intensity of storms in recent years and their consistency with the warnings of Britain’s leading climate scientists regarding the impact of climate change;
• supports the outcome of the UN COP21 conference in Paris, but recognises that international cooperation and ambition to reduce greenhouse gases and invest in clean energy technologies must be increased if global temperature rises are to be limited and the goal of climate safety kept within reach;
• expresses concern at the Government’s decisions to cut investment in carbon capture and storage technology, privatise the Green Investment Bank without protecting its green mandate, reduce funding for energy efficiency and solar energy and block the growth of wind energy, which all jeopardise the future of Britain’s important low-carbon industries; and
• calls on the Government to institute a thorough climate risk assessment that considers the implications of the Paris Summit for future flood risk.

Debate in Parliament | Source |