Sarah Dyke MP: Climate Timeline

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Sarah Dyke's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Sarah Dyke in the last 90 days

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• 5 Dec 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  As Members will know, transport is a key contributor to climate change and the release of greenhouse gases. The transport sector is responsible for more than a quarter of total UK emissions and is the single most polluting domestic sector, but all public transport combined —buses, trams, shared mobility—accounts for only 9% of these emissions, with that number falling every year.

  The Government’s vision for the future of buses appears to be based around franchising and delivering London-style buses around the country. As I stated, better buses are key to achieving a modal shift, hitting net zero targets and delivering opportunity and growth. But with the local authority landscape as it is, franchising simply is not an option in rural areas. If there is not significant funding, franchising is no more than a pipe dream for rural authorities. Somerset council has only three officers to deal with public transport, which is not enough people power to run such an operation. That is not an anomaly, but a local authority standard. If the current situation does not work for rural areas, what is the vision?

  Full debate: Improving Public Transport

• 4 Dec 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  Improving our biosecurity will ensure that we can continue to prevent major infectious disease outbreaks, which are expensive and harm our international reputation, but it will create opportunities too. The two most widely discussed problems in agriculture are business viability and climate change, and what is often forgotten in these conversations is that vaccinations can play a part in supporting both. As we have heard in this debate, diseases such as bluetongue, Schmallenberg virus and avian influenza can lead to stunted growth in livestock. They fail to reproduce, they abort and they are more likely to die. I spoke to a farmer in Barton St David recently, and they told me that that just means more inputs for lower outputs, and for consumers it means more expensive food. He also said that it means more damage to the environment as well.

  Research from my alma mater, Harper Adams University, shows that controlling avian influenza reduces greenhouse gas emissions by almost 16% per kilogram of meat without the need for culling. Following several successful campaigns from industry bodies, most livestock farmers now accept the benefits of regular vaccinations and parasite control. However, our inconsistent domestic vaccine capacity is preventing them from doing so. For example, this summer, sheep farmers saw yet another shortage of enzootic abortion vaccinations and continued shortages of orf vaccinations.

  Full debate: Biosecurity

• 6 Nov 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  Somerset is one of only two counties in England where peat extraction still takes place. The Somerset levels and moors are the second largest area of lowland deep peat in England, containing 11 million tonnes of carbon. However, drained deep peat is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and, along with peat extraction, could be responsible for as much as 255,000 tonnes of CO 2 per year, according to a 2023 report published by eftec. Somerset’s peatlands are extremely rare and valuable habitats for wildlife. They are the perfect place for plants such as the sundew and the marsh violet, which in turn support invertebrates and bird populations.

  There are many fantastic examples of businesses moving towards being peat free. One such business is Kelways in Langport, in my constituency, which no longer sells compost containing peat and understands the shift that needs to take place. Moving towards being peat free would help the Government to achieve their aim of moving towards a circular economy. Peat-free compost manufacturers want to keep supply chains close to home, and some, such as Miracle-Gro, have their own on-site waste processors to produce compost. Others have partnerships with local forestry and wood processing businesses. RocketGro in Somerset processes digestate, a by-product of sustainable energy, into peat-free compost.

  Full debate: Horticultural Peat (Prohibition of Sale)

• 29 Oct 2024: Tweet

  It was great to meet @FuelPovAction in Parliament last week and hear about their #energyforall campaign. I agree everyone should have enough energy for the basics. It's time we put an end to extortionate energy bills & the big profiteers pay their way on the path to net zero. https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1851335694335312102/photo/1 [Source]

• 24 Oct 2024: Tweet

  I'm delighted to have been elected onto the EFRA Select Committee. It ensures rigorous scrutiny of Defra policy & makes evidence-based recommendations. This is vital for agriculture & rural communities & as we reach critical juncture in terms of the environment & climate crisis. https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1849374940610318442/photo/1 [Source]

• 23 Oct 2024: Tweet

  Food security is critical to national security so we must secure the future of British farming. Farmers lead on supporting green energy infrastructure - hosting 70% of our renewable capacity. They must be supported to diversify without sacrificing valuable land/food capacity. https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1849084273900339268/video/1 [Source]

• 22 Oct 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  Farmers across the country are leading the UK’s renewable energy charge, and already host about 70% of the UK’s total solar generation capacity. Hosting renewable energy infrastructure can help British farmers at a time when they desperately need it, so the ability to diversify their business has been welcome for those who can do so. However, food security is paramount to national security. Energy security and food security go hand in hand, so we must secure the future of British farming.

  Rural communities such as Glastonbury and Somerton are leading the solar energy movement. My constituency is in the top 50 English parliamentary constituencies for domestic solar generation capacity. The Government should be looking to improve on the success of rural communities by enabling more solar panels on agricultural buildings, with affordable access to rural electricity grid connections. To ensure we are food secure, we must ensure that the future of British farming is safe. We must therefore give our farmers the support they need to feed the nation and protect our environment. To reach net zero by 2045, we must support the roll-out of renewables. Supporting farmers to host renewable infrastructure is common sense, but it must not be on our best, most versatile and most productive land. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s comments—

  Full debate: Large-scale Energy Projects and Food Security

• 16 Oct 2024: Tweet

  Yesterday in Parliament, I asked the government to commit to community benefits for hosting solar power arrays. This infrastructure is critical to our path to net zero, and rural communities must benefit when they bear the visual brunt of supporting it. https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1846513924356927555/video/1 [Source]

• 15 Oct 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  I commend the new Government’s aspiration to increase our renewable energy infrastructure. The previous Conservative Government’s failure to invest in renewable energy and insulate our homes led directly to the energy crisis, pushing up energy bills for everyone and squeezing personal finances. In Somerset we are investing in and expanding our renewable energy infrastructure. Under the net zero pathway, the equivalent of 45% of Somerset’s future expected electricity demand will be met by local renewable energy generation by 2050.

  However, I believe that when communities host renewable energy infrastructure such as solar farms, they should benefit from it. When I asked the Secretary of State about this recently, he agreed—he was clear that when communities take on the responsibility of hosting clean energy infrastructure, they should benefit from it—yet when I wrote to the Minister for Energy, the response stated blankly that the Government have no formal role in ensuring community benefits in solar. That is not the case with onshore wind power, which the Government are taking action to ensure is covered. That leaves communities in Somerset that host solar infrastructure totally reliant on developers to offer tangible benefits. Developments are also ineligible for community infrastructure levy obligations in the way that new housing is. The lack of obligations on developers means that communities are unlikely to benefit from hosting installations, leading to ongoing tensions within communities.

  That begs further questions about the Government’s development of Great British Energy, to which I hope the Minister might respond today. If GB Energy is going to invest in new ground-mounted solar farms, will it ensure that local communities benefit from hosting the infrastructure, as the Government have claimed is their aim? I look forward to hearing the Minister’s comments. I hope that we can continue to move forward and increase clean, green energy production.

  Full debate: Renewable Energy Projects: Community Benefits

• 08 Oct 2024: Tweet

  Just a reminder the Oct 18 deadline for £100k funding from @BritishGas is fast approaching. If you have a project that could help your community in the south-west reach net zero APPLY HERE: https://www.centrica.com/sustainability/energy-for-tomorrow/ https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1843750715946111393/photo/1 [Source]

• 07 Oct 2024: Tweet

  The fantastic @LandAliveSW conference is coming up next month at @BathandWest A brilliant chance to learn about how regenerative agriculture is the way forward in securing our futures, mitigating climate change and restoring our nature and farmland. https://www.landalive.co.uk/ https://x.com/SarahDykeLD/status/1843380616689266811/photo/1 [Source]