Today the country’s climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), present a new pathway to a decarbonised Wales. Our recommended level for Wales’ Fourth Carbon Budget is a 73% reduction in annual emissions averaged over the five-year period from 2031 to 2035. This percentage reduction is from a 1990 baseline and equates to a 58% reduction from levels in 2022
The start of Wales’ Fourth Carbon Budget is only six years away. Achieving it will require a focus on key near-term actions, particularly in surface transport, buildings, and agriculture and land use. These sectors have significant policy powers devolved to the Welsh Government.
Interim Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Professor Piers Forster, said:
“The Committee is delighted to be able to present a good news story about how Wales can decarbonise. We hope Wales adopts a budget in line with our advice. To deliver against this budget and its climate commitments, immediate action is necessary. Wales must decarbonise its economy and transition to one that doesn’t rely on foreign fossil fuels.
“There is an opportunity for the Welsh Government to work closely with the UK Government, especially now that they are run by the same party, to get the best outcome for Wales.”
A better transition
The transition to an electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks will secure the future of steel making in Wales. But there are important lessons to learn from the way in which the closure of the blast furnaces was managed. The challenges facing the UK steel sector have been clear for many years and, given the significance of this site to the local economy, a more proactive and decisive transition plan should have been developed for Port Talbot.
This transition plan could have included the UK and Welsh governments working together with local authorities to develop a local industrial strategy to support alternative employment, including in industries such as heating services and floating wind, ahead of the closure of the blast furnaces.
Industry and government must learn lessons from the experience in Port Talbot to guide future efforts to decarbonise other strategically and locally significant emissions-intensive industries.
Recommendations
We have 16 priority recommendations for immediate action to put Wales on track to deliver the Fourth Carbon Budget. Core themes include:
- Supporting households to install low-carbon heating. Wales needs to rapidly transition to low-carbon electrified heat. While the Net Zero transition should lead to lower energy bills for consumers, support is needed to address barriers in upfront costs, especially for low income households. It is also important to support households, particularly those on low incomes, to install home insulation measures. These can reduce emissions before heating systems are replaced, reduce bills, and provide more comfortable homes.
- Expanding EV charging and travel infrastructure. Support the deployment of public charge points across Wales. The number of public EV charge points per capita in Wales is similar to the UK average, but will need to continue to increase in line with EV uptake. With prices for new and second-hand EVs falling, there is an opportunity for rapid take-up provided the right infrastructure is in place and people are provided with accessible, accurate information on their benefits. Wales should also invest to improve public and active travel infrastructure.
- Farming and nature. Long-term certainty is needed on public funding for farming practices and technologies to reduce emissions from managing crops and livestock, and incentives and markets should be provided for farmers and land managers to diversify their incomes for actions including woodland creation, peatland restoration, and renewable energy.
- Engagement. The Welsh Government should work with the UK Government to develop and implement an engagement strategy to provide clear, trusted information about the most effective actions for households and businesses in Wales to reduce emissions and the benefits of low-carbon choices, signposting to available sources of advice and support.
- Jobs. The Welsh Government should publish a Net Zero skills action plan to identify and address barriers to enable growth of the workforces needed to deliver the Net Zero transition. The Welsh Government should work with businesses and communities that may be affected by the Net Zero transition to develop proactive transition plans that enable access to secure employment and business opportunities.
Read the Committee’s advice on Wales’ Fourth Carbon Budget.
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