Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of climate change on UK diplomatic relations with states that have (a) a maritime border with and (b) territorial claims to Antarctica.

All countries with a territorial claim to Antarctica (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand and Norway) are signatories of the Paris climate change agreement. We have also worked positively with them within the Antarctic Treaty System to ensure issues relating to climate change impacts are addressed. Working collaboratively with these countries, and other signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, to understand how climate change is affecting Antarctica and migrating its effects on the continent has a positive effect on UK diplomatic relations with those nations.