The answers to our summer newsletter quiz:

How has responsibility for the environment and net zero been divided up in the new cabinet?

Steve Reed OBE was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

Ed Miliband is Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

What is the name of the new energy company that the government plans to establish and by which date do they plan to ‘lead the world with clean and cheap power?’

How much have they promised to invest in this? 

The plan is to establish GB ENERGY. They aim to cut energy bills for good, taking up to £1400 off the annual household bill and £53 billion off energy bills for business by 2030. They promise also to set up the NATIONAL WEALTH FUND, which will create good well-paying jobs by investing, alongside the private sector, in clean steel plants, gigafactories, green hydrogen and energy storage, and to upgrade millions of homes with their WARM HOMES PLAN. They promised to provide it with £8.3 billion.

What is the new government’s policy on nuclear power?

Labour plans to develop small modular nuclear reactors.

What is the new government’s plan for windpower and solar power?

By how much have they promised to increase both?

Labour has indicated that it will end the ban on onshore wind and work with the private sector to double onshore wind.

They have promised to quadruple offshore wind.

They have committed to trebling solar. No date on this!

How much has Labour promised to invest in local community energy?

The Government plans to invest £600 million per annum in local community energy grants and £400 million per annum in loans.

What is the new government planning to do about trees? 

They have pledged to establish three new national forests in England and to plant millions more trees and to create new woodlands.

When and where is the next Biodiversity COP?

Columbia, October 2024. It is rumoured that the UK may make a bid to host the 2026 Biodiversity COP.

Where and when is this year’s COP 29 to be held?

An issue for delegates will be to agree a new collective quantified goal on climate finance from developed countries to developing countries to assist with preparing for climate related disaster.

How much was agreed as a joint sum at last year’s COP?

And how much did the UK government commit as our share?

In Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 to 22 November.

Last year, $100 billion a year was promised as the joint sum.

The last government pledged to provide £11.6bn of climate related aid to developing countries between 2021-22 and 2025-26.

Labour has pledged to maintain this; however it may prove difficult because the Conservatives cut the foreign aid budget.

[Photo by kind permission of Tyler Casey on Unsplash]