Skip to main content

Climate Change

Volume 494: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to adapt its activities to climate change in the last two years. (277639)

All Departments are actively involved in the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme, which aims to help society adapt to climate change. The role of the programme is to develop and provide a comprehensive evidence base including adaptation tools, to raise awareness of the need to adapt, to measure success and to work across Government at all levels to embed adaptation. Further details about the Programme's work can be found at:

www.defra.gov/adaptation

As well as working together to tackle issues that affect all departments and their work, each Government Department is adapting to climate change in its own operations and policies.

Home Office has carried out a preliminary assessment of the business areas that may be affected by climate change. Initial findings are that migration, and crime and policing are the more likely areas of Home Office business to be affected. Home Office estates may also be affected. Our next step is to carry out more detailed assessments in each area, based on different climate change scenarios.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of his Department’s potential gross (a) costs and (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years. (277721)

It is not currently possible to provide estimates of the potential costs and savings over the next three years. It has, however, been shown in the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change that timely and well-targeted climate adaptation measures will yield benefits in excess of their costs. The main rationale for investment to address climate risk will be to reduce the UK’s vulnerability to longer-term climate change impacts.

The Government are undertaking a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Economic Analysis, which will provide estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation to the UK. This analysis will be presented to Parliament within three years of the Climate Change Act coming in to force.