Role of the Committee

The Sub-Committee on Polar Research was appointed by the Environmental Audit Committee in January 2023 to consider the contribution of UK science to understanding climate and environmental change in the polar regions.

It supports the overall work of the Environmental Audit Committee in considering the extend to which the policies and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development insofar as they support scientific research into the causes and effects of climate and environmental change in the polar regions.

The Sub-Committee will build on the work in this area undertaken by the Environmental Audit Committee in previous Parilaments, notably through reports on Protecting the Arctic (September 2012) and The Changing Arctic (November 2018).