NATO: Climate Change

(asked on 27th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 23 of his Department’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, published on 30 March 2021, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in NATO in the last 12 months on further cooperation on adapting to and mitigating against the effects of climate change.


Answered by
James Heappey Portrait
James Heappey
This question was answered on 3rd November 2021

The UK believes that NATO should aim to be the leading international organisation in understanding, mitigating against and adapting to the impacts of climate change on security. This year the UK and its NATO Allies agreed on a NATO Agenda on Climate Change and Security and accompanying Action Plan, which have concrete actions to tackle the implications of climate change on Alliance security. That plan has regularly been the subject of discussion between NATO Defence Ministers over the last 12 months, and I am delighted that NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, attended COP26 in Glasgow at the invitation of the Prime Minister.

As part of the forward looking NATO 2030 initiative, agreed by Alliance Leaders in June, the UK and its NATO Allies have agreed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from military activities and installations without impairing personnel safety, operational effectiveness and our deterrence and defence posture. These NATO initiatives reflect UK defence ambitions as set out in the Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, released in March this year.

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