Danny Chambers is the Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester.
We have identified 0 Parliamentary Votes Related to Climate since 2024 in which Danny Chambers could have voted.
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We've found 15 Parliamentary debates in which Danny Chambers has spoken about climate-related matters.
Here are the relevant sections of their speeches.
14:58
We know that food security is part of national security, and it has been another tough year for agriculture, with a record wet winter and now a record hot summer. We also have bluetongue disease going through livestock—when I was at vet school, that was a disease of northern Africa and southern Europe—which has spread through Europe to the UK and now to Scotland because of climate change. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that it is hugely irresponsible and scientifically ignorant for the Leader of the Opposition to ban Conservative candidates who believe in taking serious action to tackle climate change from standing at the next general election?
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14. What steps he is taking to help tackle climate change.
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At a time when misinformation about climate change is louder than ever, these discussions are not just important but essential if we are serious about protecting our environment and our future. I thank my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Luke Murphy), for securing the debate, for putting this issue in context, and for showing that climate change is also about health and national security.
I will focus on something that we too often overlook: the direct link between climate change and global health. In veterinary science, we use the term “one health” to reflect the idea that human, animal and environmental health are completely interlinked and inseparable. Climate change does not just warm the planet; it accelerates the spread of disease across all animals, humans and plants. Climate shocks, floods, droughts and extreme heat do not happen in isolation; they disrupt sanitation, displace populations and overwhelm what are often very fragile health systems. That is exactly the type of environment in which infectious diseases thrive, and we are already seeing this. As the climate shifts, we see vectors such as midges and mosquitoes moving into different parts of the world and carrying diseases into new regions. Diseases that were once considered tropical are now being seen in other parts of the world as a direct result. In the UK, we now have a disease of livestock called bluetongue, which is spread by midges that were not previously found in northern Europe.
We know that the poorest countries are hardest hit by climate change, despite contributing to it the least. We have seen that very recently in the Caribbean, which has had record-breaking storm seasons. However, this is not just a distant humanitarian issue; it is about our safety here in the UK. Disease does not respect national borders, and a threat anywhere is a threat here as well. When health systems abroad are overwhelmed, outbreaks spread faster, surveillance systems weaken, and the risk of global transmission rises. That is how local crises become global crises.
Layered on top of all that is one of the greatest threats that we face in global public health: antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is a slow pandemic that is already under way. It gets relatively little media attention, but it is having a huge and direct effect on day-to-day medicine in the UK. It means that antibiotics stop working, routine operations such as hip replacements become high-risk procedures, and minor infections become life threatening. We are talking about returning to a world where a simple cut could kill. It is predicted that 39 million people will have died by 2050 as a direct result of antimicrobial resistance. We can add to that picture climate change, which is driving infection, increasing antibiotic use and accelerating resistance, creating a perfect storm.
With falling vaccine uptake, climate change denial and growing global instability, it is often the scientists who are doing the hard work to keep us safe, yet too often their warnings are ignored. That has real-life consequences. When we cut overseas development assistance and scale back support for global health systems—for example, through the Fleming Fund—we are not actually saving money; we are directly increasing the risk to ourselves. Such funding helps to build up resilient health systems, supports disease surveillance, and reduces the spread of infection before it reaches our shores and our NHS.
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11:18
The biggest challenges facing the world now are global: climate change, the risk of pandemics, and antimicrobial resistance. These are global challenges, but also science challenges. The US Administration have an anti-vaxxer running the Health Department and a President who seems not to believe in climate change. Do the UK Government recognise that as an opportunity to really fly the flag for being a pro-science country and to offer refuge to scientists who want to help solve some of these huge global problems, but also help grow our economy?
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14:59
I completely agree with the hon. Member. We are not here to support science centres just for themselves, just for the tourist industry or just for the economy. Some of the biggest challenges facing civilisation at the moment—global challenges such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance, risk of pandemics, biodiversity collapse, and even how to feed and provide energy sustainably for 8 billion people—are also science challenges. We need to inspire the next generation of children to recognise those as urgent problems that need to be solved. They are not hypothetical challenges; they are current challenges.
Science centres are vital to inspire children to create the next generation of scientists who will help solve all those problems. We are in an era of rampant misinformation, with geopolitical turbulence and global health challenges. Places such as the Winchester Science Centre inspire collaboration, learning and the sharing of information. In a world of falling vaccine uptake, climate change denial and precarious geopolitical frameworks, it is the scientists who will do the heavy lifting to keep us all safe, and yet they are probably the most overlooked.
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15:26
This is the first time I have intervened on the hon. Member—it is normally the other way round. He mentioned climate change, and I was alarmed to read that last year Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service attended 197 outdoor fires and wildfires, which was one of the highest numbers in the whole of the UK. We are seeing water scarcity and abstraction from rivers against the backdrop of having had the 20-odd hottest years on the planet—year after year after year. It has to be acknowledged that that is affecting water scarcity as well.
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I recently visited St Bartholomew’s church in Hyde, which has served the residents of Winchester for over 915 years, as part of its Give to Go Green day, which raised £2,400 to support its efforts to decarbonise the church and reduce energy bills. Will the Minister join me in congratulating the congregation and the community volunteers for the leadership they are showing in this area, and will he outline what steps the Government are taking to support faith and community groups in decarbonising historic buildings while preserving their heritage?
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19:38
I thank the Minister for his comments. The recent National Audit Office report was hugely concerning, and it was clear that the UK is at high risk of, and unprepared for, a major animal disease outbreak. Post-Brexit checks mean that only 5% of animals are physically checked as they come into the UK. We know that a lot of illegal meat is coming in through the ports, and our farm animal veterinary workforce is overstretched. Also, climate change and antimicrobial resistance are putting us at a higher risk of disease outbreaks. If a disease such as foot and mouth hits again, it will devastate British agriculture and rural communities, and have an impact on our food security. Can the Minister assure us that the Government are treating the issues that the report raises as a strategic national threat, and that its warnings will not be ignored until it is too late?
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I would like to introduce the concept of one health, which many people will have heard of. It is the fact that human and animal health are completely interlinked, whether we are talking about antimicrobial resistance, risk of pandemics, food security or climate change. There is also the concept of one medicine, which has been driven forward by the Humanimal Trust, based primarily on the work of academics at the University of Surrey’s school of veterinary medicine. We are really pushing not only for animal experimentation to be reduced, refined and replaced by other methods, such as those that hon. Members have mentioned today, but to ensure that when these tests are carried out, humans and animals can benefit from the information gathered.
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17:44
Some of the greatest challenges facing civilisation right now include climate change, how we feed 8 billion people and give them energy sustainably, the risk of pandemics, and antimicrobial resistance. Does my hon. Friend agree that barriers to research are not only damaging our universities and industries, but hindering the tackling of these huge problems?
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16:15
We also cannot ignore the worsening impact of climate change on global health. Due to changing temperatures, diseases that were classed as tropical when I was at university are now being seen in other parts of the world. The US withdrawal from the Paris agreement has already slowed efforts to tackle climate-driven diseases; now, its retreat from global health co-operation leaves us even less well prepared to handle the consequences. The UK must remain firm in supporting the WHO’s role in pandemic preparedness, not only because it is morally right, but because it is in our national interest.
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For so many people in need around the world, UK and US foreign aid has been the difference between life and death. Whether tackling climate change, pandemics or extreme poverty, the Liberal Democrats believe in global solutions to global problems, and in the importance of international development when building a more peaceful and prosperous world, with the UK leading the way. That is why we are eventually hoping to see our international development budget restored to 0.7% of GDP. Not only will that make the world more stable; it will also make the UK a safer and healthier place to live.
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14:16
Living in substandard housing is bad not only for physical health, but for the environment and carbon dioxide emissions. Last week, we discussed a huge programme to try to improve the housing of people living in poverty, because it is good for the environment and for people’s health. We should remember that the NHS spends about £1.5 billion a year dealing directly with issues, such as damp and cold, that have arisen from people living in poor and substandard housing, so the comorbidities are huge.
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Directly linked to that issue are buildings’ energy efficiency standards, which were reduced under the last Government. New builds should be net zero; they should be hugely energy-efficient. There is no excuse for any new house to have occupants who live in fuel poverty, and we should do everything we can to ensure that that does not happen.
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15:44
Although we are proud of our rich history, we are also a forward-looking community, keenly aware of our role in the world and our responsibility to the future. To that end, we are striving to become an official city of sanctuary for refugees, having welcomed so many from Ukraine and other areas of the world troubled by conflict. Organisations such as Winchester Action on Climate Crisis—WinACC—are also working tirelessly to ensure that Winchester plays our part in combating global climate change.
Climate change, pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and how we feed 8 billion people and give them energy sustainably—these are daunting challenges, but we must face them because they are existential threats to our civilisation. But they are also economic opportunities; the technology and expertise required to address them are opportunities for economic growth, and the UK has the potential to be a world leader in this area. No single country can address these issues alone, and to find lasting solutions, we need a united effort from Governments, research institutes, universities, scientists, engineers, businesses and tech start-ups worldwide. We have learned over the last few years that, whether dealing with pandemics or climate change, the human and economic costs are enormous when our political leaders ignore scientists and experts.
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