Michael Gove announced he is drafting a new National Policy Statement to build new water infrastructure following one of Britain’s worst droughts on record.
Gove said Britain must prepare for wetter winters and drier summers, up to 5C hotter, ahead of launching Britain’s biggest climate change review for nearly a decade.
As Defra secretary, Gove told an audience at the Science Museum in London, he will assess the impact of climate change on British agriculture, after a lengthy dry spell hit crop production this summer.
“We cannot predict the net effects to ecosystems, but the likelihood is that many will be negative. Some native flora and fauna will struggle,” Gove said.
“New pests and diseases could thrive. Deteriorating soil quality and moisture, coupled with less reliable water supply, will reduce agricultural yields, as we have already seen this summer.”
Gove said he will prioritise bolstering the country’s water supply, offering a “twin-track approach”, by capturing and storing more rainwater, as well as conserving and using water more efficiently.
He praised private water companies’ decision to invest £50 billion between 2020 and 2025 in improving their infrastructure, setting them a new target to halve leakage by 2050.
Gove continued: “Climate change, coupled with a rising population, will require new water supply infrastructure. In part because of company behaviour, in part because of regulatory barriers, we have not built any major new reservoirs in this country since the industry was privatised. So this week we are laying before Parliament a new draft National Policy Statement, setting out how we will expedite the construction of new infrastructure, like water transfers and reservoirs.
Gove echoed his Agriculture Bill’s proposals to reward farmers for environmental goods through his new Environmental Land Management scheme.
“We are exploring how to reform fertiliser use, which will reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions as well as biodiversity-harming ammonia emissions. And next year, we will start developing a new emissions reduction plan for agriculture, in which we will set out our long-term vision for a more productive, low-carbon farming sector.”
Waste will also play a key role in Gove’s strategy, with the minister stating he is determined to create a more circular economy.
“I have made it a particular priority of my department to end the environmental, economic, and moral scandal of food waste,” Gove said.
“Sent to landfill, food decomposes producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. So we want to ensure more councils collect food waste separately and send it to anaerobic digestion plants to create green biogas for heating our homes and fertiliser to improve the soil.
“We should also try to prevent nutritious and healthy food being thrown away in the first place. That’s why, last month, I announced a new £15 million fund to redistribute surplus food that would otherwise have been wasted to go charities who help those most in need.”
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