The Environmental Audit Committee of the UK House of Commons conducted a hearing on the Government's priorities and positioning in negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The hearing covered, inter alia, the number of goals, the possibility of an SDG on climate change, and UK representation in the overall post-2015 process.
2 December 2014: The Environmental Audit Committee of the UK House of Commons conducted a hearing on the Government’s priorities and positioning in negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The hearing covered, inter alia, the number of goals, the possibility of an SDG on climate change, and UK representation in the overall post-2015 process.
The Committee heard evidence from senior officials including: Dan Rogerson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); Amber Rudd, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC); and Melinda Bohannon, Deputy Director, Post 2015, Department for International Development (DfID).
On the number of SDGs, officials stressed that while there is “no bottom line” on the number of SDGs, they recommended reducing the number from the proposed 17, emphasizing the need for a framework that is simple and inspirational, and which can be implemented.
On reflecting climate challenges in the SDGs, they noted that whether climate change is retained as a stand-alone goal, mitigation and adaptation targets should be visible across all of the goals and integrated into areas such as food, water and energy.
On the Green Climate Fund (GCF), they noted the Fund currently stands at US$9.6 billion, and funds are protected by the need for unanimous decisions on spending, adding that further contributions to the GCF may be announced at the 20th Session of the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC, taking place in Lima, Peru (COP 20).
The Environmental Audit Committee also heard evidence from Karl Falkenberg, Director General for Environment, European Commission. Falkenberg highlighted that the 169 targets under the 17 SDGs are intended to provide “enough specificity to be measurable,” and he anticipated the EU’s support in accepting 17 SDGs as a possible outcome. He noted that negotiations on the SDGs are at a difficult moment as they address the means of implementation.
He referred to difficulties experienced by the European Statistics Agency (EUROSTAT) in the valuation of natural capital.
He also noted the importance of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a proposed bi-lateral trade agreement between the US and EU, in potentially setting joint norms for sustainability. [UK House of Commons Webpage on Environmental Audit Committee Hearing] [Transcript of Environmental Audit Committee Hearing] [European Commission Website]