Clause 2
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [Lords]
2:45 pm
Richard Benyon (Shadow Minister, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Newbury, Conservative)
Clause 2 is a vital part of the Bill; it outlines the general objective of the MMO. The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that in exercising its functions the MMO has regard to
“mitigating, and adapting to, climate change.”
A moment ago, we heard from the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire that there are at least question marks over the ability of the MMO’s proposed staff structure to reflect the demands of relevant technology in this growth industry. Managing climate change mitigation and renewable energy projects will be key to managing the marine environment. As the MMO will be the primary delivery body in the marine area, it needs to be in tune with such issues. As the significance given to climate change in planning decisions on land grows, so it should at sea.
Our seas are important because they absorb significant quantities of carbon dioxide. Regulating our climate is vital and we need a healthy environment. Activities at sea contribute to carbon emissions and limit the sea’s ability to adapt to climate change. The Bill provides an ideal opportunity to enshrine our commitment to tackling climate change through requiring the MMO to take climate change into account when making planning decisions. The inclusion of such considerations in the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Planning Act 2008 set the precedent for Government legislation to have regard to climate change considerations as a matter of course. Given the MMO’s myriad responsibilities in the marine environment, it is particularly important that we place a duty upon it to consider those issues.