This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate on 18 January 2018 on the following motion moved by Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat) “that this House takes note of the case for the UK to remain a global leader for green finance, and for the UK’s financial sector to be resilient to climate change”.
Green Finance and the Resilience of the Financial Sector to Climate Change (311KB PDF)
The UK Government has defined green finance as including private sector investments in technologies, infrastructure and start-ups which assist in the creation of jobs, the expansion of businesses and the development of economic growth, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The G20’s Green Finance Study Group (GFSG) has described green finance as financing investments that provide environmental benefits in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development.
This Briefing outlines what green finance is, recent government policies designed to promote it and finishes with an examination of the potential effects of climate change on the UK’s financial sector, with a particular focus on the work of the Bank of England.
Green Finance and the Resilience of the Financial Sector to Climate Change (311KB PDF)
The Nature’s Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party). The bill would recognise nature as a legal subject, granting it specific rights for protection and restoration. The bill would set out a legal framework for how this would operate, including an integrated rights framework and mechanisms for how nature’s rights would be implemented and enforced.
![Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 7 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Environment-568x426.png)
Concerns have been raised about levels of welfare spending in the UK and increasing numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. This briefing sets out statistics, government policy and commentary on welfare and youth employment. This includes the government’s youth guarantee, its ‘Get Britain working’ policies and the interim report by Alan Milburn on young people and work.
Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of England’s economic output. The government has announced several policies intended to support growth in the rural economy, including farming. However, it has faced criticism for the delay in outlining its overall strategy for the agricultural sector. This briefing provides data on the rural economy and summarises government policy and stakeholder reaction
