Displaying 1-10 of 15 results
The government’s support for biomass
- Report
- 24 Jan 2024
This report examines the current role of biomass in heat and power generation, the cost to support the deployment of biomass and the main features of the government’s biomass strategy.
Government resilience: extreme weather
- Report
- 06 Dec 2023
This report examines how well prepared the country is for future extreme weather events. Whilst government continues to strengthen the arrangements in place to manage the risks, it does not know how much is being spent on managing these risks. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, placing increased emphasis on prevention and preparedness, making informed decisions about prioritisation to ensure efficient and effective long-term investments.
Resilience to flooding
- Report
- 15 Nov 2023
The Met Office’s UK climate projections are for temperature increases, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events.
Approaches to achieving net zero across the UK
- Report
- 15 Sep 2023
This report is a joint piece of work between the public audit offices of the four UK nations and sets out the UK and devolved governments’ legislation, policy, strategy, governance and monitoring arrangements, relevant to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Decarbonising the power sector
- Report
- 01 Mar 2023
Decarbonising power is the backbone of the government’s plan to achieve net zero. Although power sector emissions have reduced significantly over the past three decades, the government cannot be complacent about the challenges involved in decarbonising further while continuing to ensure a secure supply that meets the predicted electricity demand increases.
Measuring and reporting public sector greenhouse gas emissions
- Report
- 10 Jun 2022
Central government organisations are required to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of the Greening Government Commitments framework. Whilst GHG emissions reporting has improved over the past decade, inconsistencies remain about which bodies are in scope and which are out of scope. The NHS and schools are not included for example. There are also questions around compliance and whether government organisations are using the emission data to inform future planning.
Environmental compliance and enforcement
- Report
- 24 May 2022
This briefing gives a factual overview of the framework for environmental compliance and enforcement in England. it covers the governments overarching environmental objectives and targets and how they are measured; the roles and responsibilities of various government bodies and how environmental compliance is defined.
Briefing for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Climate change adaptation
- Report
- 11 Feb 2022
A briefing paper that sets out how the government is organised and the role of Defra in fulfilling its lead responsibility for climate change adaptation policy. The briefing contains a summary of progress on adaptation and how it can be improved as well as some case studies on some of Defra’s main adaptation policies.
Planting trees in England
- Report
- 04 Mar 2022
The government set itself an ambitious tree planting program with the aim being to cover 7,500 hectares a year by 2025. Whilst DEFRA has worked quickly to launch new grant schemes and partnerships, the planting of trees looks set to be well short of what they set out to achieve. This report looks at likelihood of success and what risks need to be managed.
The Environmental Land Management scheme
- Report
- 15 Sep 2021
The ELM scheme replaces EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) but will pay farmers for undertaking actions to improve the environment. This project has been marred in controversy with some arguing it is not doing enough to protect nature and others saying it won’t provide food security. The report points to a lack of objectives as well as Defra’s short-term approach.
Displaying 1-10 of 15 results