Misha Patel

Another great episode of the Committee Corridor podcast 🎧- this time on oceans 🌊

The Environmental Audit Committee has published their report: Governing the marine environment. The Committee is calling on the Government to ban damaging activities in offshore protected areas that threaten marine ecosystems.

Read the full report: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

EAC has launched an inquiry on PFAS (forever chemicals)! The written evidence portal is now open so do write in about how these chemicals are used, monitored and regulated (see the terms of reference for the full scope of the inquiry) 🧪

Last week, we hosted sixth form and college students in parliament to give their views on balancing the housing, nature and climate crises.

Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/committee/62...

Evidence session, Governing the marine environment, Environmental Audit Committee. Picture on the graphic is of land surrounded by the sea, the land represents the UK covered in landmarks like St Pauls Cathedral.

This afternoon at 3pm is our final session of the governing the marine environment inquiry. We'll be joined by Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding at Defra and Baroness Chapman from the FCDO to discuss marine protection.

We visited the National Oceanography Centre as part of our inquiry into governing the marine environment, hearing from experts about how the Government can deliver on marine planning and protection👇

Image of a letter from Defra to EAC chair Toby Perkins

We've published a response from Defra Minister Emma Hardy to our Chair @tobyperkinsmp.bsky.social's letter about Government proposals for Marine Protected Areas and offshore wind.

Read it here: committees.parliament.uk/publications...

Governing the marine environment, Wednesday 5 March, 2.30pm, Watch on Parliament Live. Picture is an illustration of a large fishing boat on the sea catching fish in a large net.

Tomorrow, we're exploring how we can protect ocean life whilst also supporting the marine industry in our domestic waters.

Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/23528/...

Comment: The Seventh Carbon Budget - Committees - UK Parliament Reacting to the Climate Change Committee’s report on meeting the Seventh Carbon Budget, Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Toby Perkins MP, said:

“Ice sheets melting, severe weather events, worsening pollution – we need to wake up to the harsh realities of manmade climate change."

Our Chair @tobyperkinsmp.bsky.social reacts to the Climate Change Committee's Seventh Carbon Budget 👇

committees.parliament.uk/committee/62...

As #COP16 resumes in Rome today, here's Minster @marycreagh.bsky.social speaking to us in December about how the Government hopes to mobilise funding for nature and agree how progress is monitored 👇

“[Biodiversity net gain] needs the whole mitigation hierarchy to be implemented through the planning system."

Listen to Ben Kite, Chair of the Strategic Policy Panel, in our session last week 👇

Image of a letter to the Defra secretary of state

Are MPAs threatened by Government plans to ramp up infrastructure building?

We’ve written to the Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed, about Government proposals for Marine Protected Areas and offshore wind.

Read it here: committees.parliament.uk/publications...

With limited numbers of ecologists at local authorities, what steps can be taken to encourage people into the career?

Dr Iain Boulton from Association of Local Government Ecologists explains 👇

Watch Professor Heather Koldewey explain that nature can recover, and how protected areas can boost the resilience of marine biodiversity 👇