Arctic ice melt ‘will flood UK properties’

The committee said the UK Government should treat the Arctic with more prominence, send an ice-breaker research ship there and appoint a polar envoy.

Responsibility lies across several departments that should meet at least once a quarter, which the ministers have yet to do once, the committee said.

They also heard that political tensions with other countries are inhibiting scientific research, with Western researchers effectively locked out of half the Arctic region since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

MPs are concerned that the competition for oil, gas and minerals in the polar north, as well as a military build-up by both Russia and Nato, is diverting attention away from climate change.

Drastic

They also identified an increased opportunity to use shipping routes in the newly created sea lanes, allowing minerals to be mined and transported out to be used in green technology, but stressed that this should not come at the expense of indigenous people.

Mr Gray said: “Russia has been frozen out of Western Arctic science following its invasion of Ukraine. The Arctic Council, built with the purpose of boosting collaboration with Arctic nations, is becoming less influential and much of its important work has stalled.

“Our loss of access to Russian data is concerning, and 50 per cent of the Arctic is now inaccessible to Western scientists. We must look into alternative international fora to champion and collaborate on Arctic research.

“Whitehall has not been paying enough attention to the Arctic. Four ministers jotted around different departments with no oversight on Arctic policy is a missed opportunity.

“The fact the ministers are yet to meet indicates a lack of enthusiasm on Arctic matters at the heart of government: they must meet quarterly given the drastic changes we are witnessing in our changing Arctic.”

Protection

Isabella O’Dowd, head of climate policy at the World Wildlife Fund, said: “The urgency of tackling the climate and nature crises has never been more evident.

“If 1.5 million UK homes at greater risk of flooding due to already locked in sea-level rise is not a reason for more action on climate change and not less, then I don’t know what is.

“The government’s own watchdog tells us that delaying climate action will increase energy and transport costs for UK households. We want to see Rishi Sunak’s sums to see what he based his decision on.

“As we approach the next general election all political parties must pledge their continued commitment to follow the science and listen to the independent advice of the Climate Change Committee.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The UK holds a prominent position in global Arctic research, ranking among the top four nations in peer-reviewed Arctic research output, while allocating approximately £10 million annually for Arctic science projects.

“The UK is a committed observer to the Arctic Council and we stand ready to increase our participation further. Additionally, we are investing £5.2 billion in the UK’s flood defences by 2027 to enhance protection for hundreds of thousands of properties both now and in the future.”

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Danny Halpin is the PA environment correspondent.