Recommendation: That the Minister meets representatives of this grouping of influential organisations

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Randolph Gallagher
5 years ago
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1 FOI Information for release Relevant extracts from documents as follows: Document 1 pro-forma meeting request Name of Minister invited Mark Simmonds MP Title of Event Meeting with representatives of Stop Climate Chaos Date TBC Audience 3-4 CEO s or senior representatives from large NGOs Recommendation: That the Minister meets representatives of this grouping of influential organisations Advice and implications of both accepting and declining: Stop Climate Chaos is a civil society collective, including organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Oxfam, Greenpeace, WWF-UK and Christian Aid. Its combined supporter base of more than 11 million people spans over 100 organisations, from environment and development charities to unions, faith, community and women's groups. The group advocates practical action by the UK to keep global warming as far as possible below the 2 degrees C mark, and limiting its impact of climate change on the world s poorest communities. It campaigns for the UK Government to: build a clean, green economy; move away from fossil fuels; protect the poor; and lead global action on climate change. A meeting would provide an opportunity to engage with CEOs or senior reps of some of the bigger and more influential organisations within SCC. SCC member organisations are influential stakeholders across a range of FCO policy areas. If we were to decline this meeting request we would miss out engaging with a group of important NGOs, and would miss the opportunity to put our messages across. Document 2 record of Mark Simmonds meeting with Stop Climate Chaos Coalition 4 April The Minister met representatives from Stop Climate Chaos (SCC) on Tuesday 26 March. (Christian Aid was one of the attendees). The meeting was cut short due to urgent parliamentary business. 2. The group praised FCO leadership on Climate Change policy. It was essential that the Foreign Secretary continued to support the UK s role of international leadership. The Minister said he was keen that the FCO maintained a leadership role, both at COP and bilaterally (including with reluctant participants). The FCO was doing lots of important work, including for example on transferring legislative structures to countries such as Mexico, Denmark and Sweden. And we were determined not to dilute ambition for the 2 degree target. 3. (Christian Aid) said climate change issues had moved down the agenda since What could NGOs do to support the FCO s climate change work? The Minister was keen to explore

2 how NGOs could help the FCO build capacity in Africa. There was a collective need to maximise support there for adaptation and legislative structures, for example. 4. (Christian Aid) said environmental resilience needed to be part of the Post 2015 Development Framework. There was a danger that it would frame environment and development as separate issues, and there was a need to bring DFID into the tent. The Minister pointed to the encouraging example of Latin American countries pushing for greater focus on sustainability. Document 3 Briefing for Mr Simmonds meeting with SCC Coalition on 26 March From 21 March 2013 To Briefing: Mr Simmonds meeting with SCC Coalition on 26 March Please find attached a briefing for Mr Simmonds 26 March meeting with members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition. This briefing has been cleared by. Hard copies are being walked down. In regards to a post-meeting tweet, we suggest the following which has helped draft and cleared in the absence of. Met with Stop Climate Emphasised UK s strong commitment to action on #climatechange and securing a global deal. will arrange for a pre-meeting briefing as requested. And is in the process of arranging for one of his colleagues to be on hand to take photographs. [For these points see Document 4 Briefing - Steering Note, Points to make, Budget, defensive Line]. From Sent - 13 February 2013 To FW request for briefing: arranging meeting with mark Simmonds: 26 march 2013: Confirmed The meeting between the Minister and 3-4 CEOs or senior representatives of the SCC Coalition (see names below) has been confirmed for Tuesday 26 march at (details below and in my of 22 January) Ahead of this meeting the Minister would like a briefing with officials ahead of the meeting. I have scheduled this for Tuesday 26 march at

3 Please could we have briefing and a short tweet (140 characters) by 15.00, Thursday 21 March (1xflagged and 1xunflagged hardcopy) and can someone attend to take note. Our guidance is being updated Please can you ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the meeting is due to start Please can you confirm who is leading on this and speak to about the briefing requirements. Please can you ensure that: A photographer to be on hand to take photos From 13 February 2013 To Re: arranging meeting with Mark Simmonds: 26 March 2103: Confirmed Thank you for your and for letting me have the names of those who will be attending the meeting. From 13 February 2013 To Re: arranging meeting with Mark Simmonds: 26 march 2013 Dear Thanks again for setting this up. We now have 4 confirmed to attend this meeting: Plus myself to take notes: Please do let me know if you need any further information Many thanks On 25 January 2013 wrote:

4 Thank you. Look forward to hearing from you in due course. From: 24 January 2013 To Re: arranging meeting with Mark Simmonds: 26 March 2013 Many thanks I m checking with the different organisations now and will confirm who will attend as soon as possible On 22 January 2013 wrote Dear Thank you for your to the Minister, Mark Simmonds, requesting a meeting with SCC representatives which would consist of 3-4 CEOs or senior representatives from large NGOs within your coalition. I have pencilled in a slot for a meeting for Tuesday 26 March at at the Foreign Office (subject to parliamentary Business). I would appreciate it if you could let me know if this would be convenient for the SCC representatives. From Sent: 07 January 2013 To: Arranging a meeting with Mark Simmonds Further to our conversation just now, I am following up a letter we sent to the Foreign Secretary in November (attached), to which Mr Simmonds kindly replied. We would welcome the opportunity for a small number of Stop Climate Chaos (SCC) representatives to discuss this further in a meeting with Mr Simmonds. Please could you let me know when Mr Simmonds would be available for a meeting? The SCC representatives would consist of 3-4 CEOs or senior representatives from large NGOs within our coalition, so if you could suggest a number of possible dates it would help to coordinate diaries at this end. Document 4 Briefing Subject: Meeting with Stop Climate Chaos Coalition members 26 March 2013

5 Steering Note and Key Issues/Objectives/Messages The Minister s first meeting with Stop Climate Change Chaos (SCC) coalition members as a group.,,, will attend. Mr Simmonds last met on 18 December An opportunity to engage positively with senior representatives of influential NGOs and to emphasise the Government s ongoing commitment to achieving a global legally binding agreement on emissions by 2020 and its active role on EU climate action, including bilaterally with member states The SCC coalition may press the Minister on perceived Government disunity or retrenchment over the 4th Carbon Budget. The Minister may wish to reaffirm the Government s commitment to the Budget and the case for its review in POINTS TO MAKE Doha reaffirmed commitment of the Parties to the Durban Platform to delivering a global legally binding agreement, applicable to all, by COP19 in Warsaw will be important in making initial progress towards securing the deal. The UK remains active at the EU level in pushing for greater ambition, including a 30% emissions reduction target by We have been leading calls for adoption of the Low Carbon Roadmap and support the ambitious targets which it sets out and that are in line with our Climate Change Act. The UK has yet to form a position on a 2030 framework, and we are awaiting the publication of the Green Paper in early April. We want a solution that demonstrates the EU s commitment to tackling climate change, supports low carbon growth and enhances energy security. Our posts across the EU continue to undertake initiatives to persuade other Member States of the benefits of adopting ambitious climate legislation and of developing support schemes for low carbon technologies. The Government is not abandoning its commitment to the 4th Carbon Budget. We remain committed to a legally-binding 4th Carbon Budget, covering the period The Government said at the time the 4th Carbon Budget was set that it will review progress in early This position has not changed and we continue to push for greater ambition at EU level. The Budget IF RAISED: The Government remains committed to a low carbon future. The Budget announced some important steps towards this such as confirmation of the Carbon Price Floor trajectory, the 100m package to support the purchase and manufacture of ultra low emission vehicles in the UK and the decision to take two CCS projects to the detailed planning and design stage of the UK s current CCS competition. CCS deployment commercially is vital to limiting global emissions in the coming decades.

6 DEFENSIVE LINE: New tax regime for shale gas development announced in the Budget will have a community benefits approach. The Government will also be announcing the scope, responsibilities and objectives of the Office for Unconventional Oil and Gas, thereby providing further safety assurances on shale gas activity in the UK. BACKGROUND 1. The Stop Climate Chaos (SCC) coalition is a civil society collective, which includes organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Oxfam, Greenpeace, WWF-UK and Christian Aid. It has a combined supporter base of more than 11 million people and spans over 100 organisations, from environmental and development charities to unions and faith, community and women's groups. The group advocates practical action by the UK to keep global warming, as far as possible, below 2 C and to limit the impacts of climate change on the world s poorest communities. SCC campaigns for the UK Government to: build a clean, green economy; move away from fossil fuels; protect the poor; and lead global action on climate change. The Minister wrote to SCC on 19 December 2012 in response to their letter to the Foreign Secretary (Annex 1). 2. The SCC coalition has informed us that its members intend to raise the UN climate change negotiations, UK leadership in Europe on climate issues, the Climate Change Act and the fourth Carbon Budget. Climate Change Negotiations 3. The UK is committed to achieving an ambitious global deal to cut emissions, consistent with limiting the global average temperature increase to below 2 C above pre-industrial levels, and to helping countries adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. The most cost effective way to achieve the former is through an international, legally-binding rules-based agreement, applicable to all Parties. The UNFCCC COP18 in Doha delivered progress on the UK s two key objectives: to set out a work plan for negotiating by 2015 a new global legally binding agreement, to come into force from 2020; and to raise ambition before 2020 on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to close the gap between current levels of mitigation and where we need to be to achieve our 2 C goal. UK leadership in Europe on climate issues 4. The UK remains an active player on European climate and energy issues both within the context of EU-wide discussions and at a bilateral level. We have been supportive of both the reform of the internal energy market and the new infrastructure regulations, which will enable more rapid deployment of low carbon technologies. The UK has also been at the forefront of efforts to effectively reform the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and try to resolve the differences on EU ETS aviation. The FCO (both at post and in London) has played a key role in all this work. We also played a key role in the agreement, by 26 Member States (excluding Poland), to adopt the European Commission Low Carbon Roadmap which set out a trajectory to achieve an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by The SCC is likely to want to discuss the 2030 EU climate and energy framework. The Commission is due to publish proposals for a 2030 framework in early April. The draft paper has been leaked

7 and, as expected, sets out the general scope of the exercise rather than focusing on specific proposals. It is anticipated that this paper will be discussed at the April Energy/Environment Informal and at the May European Council. Cross-Whitehall discussions are ongoing and we are unlikely to have a UK position until at least mid April. Alesha De Freitas note of 15 March sets out the latest position (Annex 2). 6. The FCO continues to work proactively at a bilateral level promoting the UK Climate Change Act (in Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden), renewable energy policy (for example in Lithuania and Poland) and the Electricity Market Reform package (for example in the Nordic countries) amongst other climate and energy policy issues. Climate Change Act and 4th Carbon Budget 7. The Climate Change Act 2008 established the world s first long-term, legally binding national framework to help tackle the dangers of climate change, by putting in place a system of fiveyear carbon budgets. These budgets provide a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% (from the 1990 baseline), by The Act requires that each carbon budget be set, by affirmative resolution, three budget periods ahead. Parliament approved the first three carbon budgets, covering the period to 2022, in May These were set at the Interim level, as recommended by the independent Committee on Climate Change. The 4th Carbon Budget was set in June 2011 and covers the period It limits emissions during this period to 1950 MtCO2e, representing a 50% reduction on 1990 levels. 8. The Gas Generation Strategy, published in December 2012, cited a possible future scenario which included an upwards revision of the 4th Carbon Budget. This led some to question the Government s commitment to its long-term climate commitments. The Government remains committed to a legally-binding 4th Carbon Budget. It stated at the time the budget was set that it would review progress in early 2014 and if, at that point, domestic commitments placed us on a different trajectory from the one agreed by partners in the EU (under the Emissions Trading System), it would revise up the budget as appropriate, thereby aligning it with the actual EU trajectory. Any review undertaken will adhere to the process and requirements of the Climate Change Act, including taking into account the advice of the Committee on Climate Change and any representations made by the devolved administrations. This position has not changed, and the Government continues to push for greater ambition at EU level. The Budget 9. SCC may express disappointment in the recent Budget in relation to climate and energy issues. The Budget did contain some announcements that the Minister could point to. The Chancellor mentioned that two CCS projects would be taken forward as part of the UK s CCS competition. DECC have subsequently announced two preferred bidders Peterhead(involving Shell and SSE) and White Rose(involving Alstom, Drax Power, BOC and National Grid) ; with two Reserve Bidders Teeside Low Carbon and Captain Clean Energy. CCS has a crucial role as the only mitigating technology that could limit increase in global temperature to 2 degrees or less in the coming decades. The IEA estimate that without CCS the delivery cost of meeting a 50% global emissions reduction target by 2050 will be 70% higher.

8 10. The [UK] Carbon Price Floor will be introduced in April. The Budget confirmed that its trajectory will remain as planned, rising in a straight line from around 16 per tonne in 2013 to 30 per tonne in SCC may raise concerns about fracking, as part of the extraction process for shale gas. The Budget announced a new tax regime for shale gas. The Minister may wish to emphasise that the Government will be announcing the scope, responsibilities and objectives of the Office for Unconventional Oil and Gas, and that this body will help ensure that we can make the most of our natural resources, whilst protecting the environment, safeguarding the public and ensuring local communities feel some benefit from hosting developments Date 21 March 2013

Adaptation for developing countries in a post-2012 UN Climate Regime

November 2009 WWF Global Climate Policy Position Paper Sandeep Chamling Rai WWF International Adaptation Policy Coordinator Mobile : +65 9829 1890 scrai@wwf.sg Adaptation for developing countries in a