Committee takes evidence on climate change issues

• Video and Audio: Sustainable Development in a Changing Climate evidence session
• International Development Committee

Witnesses:

• Mr Michael Foster MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development
• Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Minister of State for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation

This is the fifth and final evidence session in the inquiry into Sustainable Development in a Changing Climate. It will focus on the range of issues detailed below as well as providing an opportunity to explore with Ministers the expected outcomes from the forthcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The specific issues which are being examined in this inquiry are:

• the effectiveness and coherence of the UK Government’s approach to sustainable development in developing countries
• the extent to which climate change adaptation is integrated into DFID’s development policies
• potential adverse impacts for developing countries of steps by developed countries to mitigate climate change, including in the context of the ‘post-2012’ negotiations, and potential benefits for developing countries of related technology transfers
• the impact of choices about power generation and energy sources in both developed and developing countries and the linkages between these
• the role of transport, including aviation, in economic development in developing countries, particularly freight and exports, and the impact of such transport on the environment
• the role of tourism in economic development, and the potential for sustainable tourism
• pro-poor exploitation of natural resources, including minerals and forests, and the regulatory framework for exploitation
• opportunities for developing countries presented by sustainable approaches, such as carbon trading, direct fiscal transfers and addressing the needs of increasingly environmentally-sensitive consumers