Environmental protection
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on environmental protection. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 09.05.2012 | Green Investment Bank |
| The Government has announced the creation of a Green Investment Bank to stimulate investment in green technologie. This note includes details of its role and its location. | |
| 02.05.2012 | Deepwater and Arctic oil drilling |
| This note outlines several examples of how previously inaccessible sources of hydrocarbons are now starting to be exploited, and the regulatory regimes that surround this. | |
| 30.04.2012 | Shale gas and fracking |
| Drilling at the UK's current shale gas test wells is currently suspended following small seismic events, and the Government has asked for comments on a report on this by 25 May 2012, after which it will take a decision about whether fracking can resume. | |
| 20.04.2012 | Green Belt |
| This note describes the Government's policy on the green belt, related plannning restrictions and concern over Green belt changes. | |
| 20.04.2012 | The Chagos Islanders |
| This note provides brief background about the situation of the Chagos Islanders, paying particular attention to the legal dispute over whether they have the right of return and the recent establishment of a Marine Protection Area around the British Indian Ocean Territory (with the exception of Diego Garcia). The note is not comprehensive in its coverage and will not be automatically updated. |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 10.11.2010 | Sustainable Livestock Bill. Bill 5 of 2010-11 Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill. Bill 12 of 2010-11 |
| The Sustainable Livestock Bill aims to reduce the environmental impacts of livestock production in the UK. It also aims to amend the way agricultural subsidies are used to make them more environmentally friendly. It includes a duty to give consideration to supporting sustainable practices and consumption through public procurement of livestock produce. The Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill would create a duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a Code for Sustainable Food to promote the procurement of healthy and sustainable food by public bodies. This could be made compulsory if uptake was not extensive enough. | |
| 16.06.2009 | Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL] |
| The Bill covers a broad range of marine issues and would: (1) set up a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO) under which many of the existing, diverse areas of marine regulation would be centralised; (2) streamline the existing marine licensing system and provide powers to create a joined up marine planning policy; (3) introduce new measures to reform fisheries management; (4) provide a framework for establishing marine conservation zones; and, (5) enable the creation of a route around the English coast. | |
| 22.10.2008 | Climate Change Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report |
| Climate Change Bill. (Bill 129 of 2007/08) House of Commons Library Research Paper 08/79. | |
| 06.06.2008 | Climate Change Bill [HL] |
| (Bill 97 of 2007-08) | |
| 24.04.2008 | Social Indicators |
| Social Indicators. [Includes articles on 'Gambling in New South Wales, Australia' and 'A new era for UK official statistics: the launch of the UK Statistics Authority, and Topical Subject Pages on world food prices, the weather in 2007 and excess winter mortality.] House of Commons Library Research Paper 08/37. |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.09.2011 | The impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation.... |
| Government response. Environmental Audit Select Committee; Department for International Development report [Commons] | |
| 13.07.2011 | Green Investment Bank. |
| Government response. Environmental Audit Select Committee; Treasury report [Commons] | |
| 13.07.2011 | Joint Nature Conservation Committee and JNCC Support Co. |
| Joint Nature Conservation Committee report [Commons] | |
| 22.06.2011 | The impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation.... |
| Environmental Audit Select Committee report [Commons] | |
| 18.05.2011 | Embedding sustainable development: the Government's response. |
| Government response. Environmental Audit Select Committee report [Commons] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 19.07.2011 | EVERY CHILD OUTDOORS CAMPAIGN |
| That this House recognises the importance of children having regular contact with the natural environment; congratulates the RSPB for its Every Child Outdoors research, which highlights ... | |
| 16.06.2011 | NEW GENERATION BIOFUELS |
| That this House acknowledges that advanced biofuel technologies could play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions, providing energy security for the UK, managing waste and creating ... | |
| 14.06.2011 | POLICY ON BIOFUELS AND THEIR EFFECTS |
| That this House welcomes the recent announcements from the Government regarding biofuels, but continues to have concerns over the negative impacts of current biofuels on people, food ... | |
| 24.05.2011 | LEGISLATION ON ILLEGAL TIMBER |
| That this House is dismayed that, despite the statement on page 17 of the Coalition Agreement that `We will introduce measures to make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal ... | |
| 20.01.2011 | DISCARD OF MARKETABLE FISH |
| That this House congratulates Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Channel 4 for highlighting the wasteful discarding of marketable fish at sea; commends the Scottish fishing industry for ... |
Lords Library Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 08.01.2010 | Debate on 14th January: The Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. LLN 2010/001 |
| Debate on 14th January: The Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. This Library Note aims to provide background reading for the debate to be held on Thursday 14th January: 'To call attention to the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change' The UN Conference on Climate Change took place in Copenhagen from 7th-19th December 2009. This Note explains the significance of the Conference in the context of previous international agreements on climate change, sets out the major disagreements that marred the negotiating process in Copenhagen and summarises the key elements contained in the final Copenhagen Accord. It considers analysis of the Accord's achievements and shortcomings, and summarises the reactions of key nations and interest groups. |
POST Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 20.03.2012 | Seeking Sustainability |
| Sustainability is the long term maintenance and enhancement of human well-being within finite planetary resources. It is usually considered to have environmental, economic, and social dimensions. This POSTnote summarises issues in defining and achieving sustainability | |
| 15.03.2012 | Livestock Super Farms |
| This POSTnote examines the current issues surrounding intensification of livestock production in the UK. | |
| 15.09.2011 | Marine planning |
| This POSTnote describes the marine planning process and considers the challenges it will face. | |
| 01.05.2011 | Natural capital accounting, May 2011 |
| This POSTnote outlines the need for "environmental accounting" by governments, to maintain the capacity of ecosystems to sustain human well-being at acceptable levels. | |
| 01.05.2011 | The ecosystem approach, May 2011 |
| This POSTnote outlines how the ecostystem approach makes explicit the link between the status of natural resource systems and ecosystem services that support human well-being. | |
| 01.05.2011 | Ecosystem service valuation, May 2011 |
| This POSTnote summaries methodologies for determining reliable values for changes in natural resources and ecosystem services and the policy implications of such valuations. |
