Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect of shale gas extraction on delivery of the (a) second and (b) third Carbon Budget.

The Government’s independent advisory body on climate change, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), has considered the role of shale gas in previous reports about carbon budgets to 2027^[1]; this included the second and third carbon budgets. They concluded that UK shale gas production can be consistent with meeting our carbon targets.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 places a new requirement on the Secretary of State to seek advice from the CCC on the likely impact of onshore oil and gas production (including shale gas) on meeting our carbon budgets and our 2050 80% emission reduction target. The first CCC report is due by 1 April 2016.

[1] For an overview of the CCC work on shale gas please see also http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/environmental-audit/EAC-Shale-gas-letter.pdf .