Clause 2
Climate Change Bill [Lords]
5:15 pm
Gregory Barker (Shadow Minister, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Bexhill and Battle, Conservative)
I am grateful for that first-rate clarification.
In preparation for today’s discussion, I thought that it would be insightful to see how many climate scientists sit on the committee. To the best of my knowledge, there are none. I, for example, am not a climate scientist. I have a degree in history and politics. The Minister, able as he is, has a degree in philosophy, and the hon. Member for Northavon, I believe, read politics, philosophy and economics—[Interruption.] The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford has a science qualification. Later in the debate, our treat will no doubt be to hear what that is.
The serious point is that we politicians should not be the ones to decide on the 2050 target, having gone to such lengths to set up the groundbreaking, unprecedented and globally authoritative body that is the Climate Change Committee. It will include such international luminaries and authorities on climate change as Sir Brian Hoskins, from the Grantham institute at Imperial college, and Professor Lord Robert May, from Oxford university. Having brought together such a distinguished collection of experts, it is crucial that we respect their opinion. Our first act under the Bill ought not to undermine the very reason for which they were brought together or prejudge their most important decision. I therefore do not support the amendment, although I understand the motivation, impatience and ambition of the hon. Member for Northavon in tabling it.
I conclude by addressing some remarks to the Minister. Can he assure us that the Government will not ride roughshod over the evidence of the expert panel? On Second Reading there were those of us who detected a glimmer of hedging—just a hint.