A new set of reports by Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group share detailed pathways for Wales to accelerate its’ approach and reach Net-Zero in the next 10 years.
Wales is renowned for setting ambitious targets to generate positive environmental impact, which often stem from the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Introduced in 2015, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions. This affords the permission and legal obligation to make decisions that positively impact the environment, culture and communities. In fact, in 2023 the UN decided to create a global Envoy for Future Generations based on Wales’ approach.
As with many other countries, Wales has targets to reach Net Zero by 2050, but in the spirit of being world leading and making tough political decisions, the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru came together to request advice on how Wales can accelerate plans to address the climate emergency; leading to the formation of the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group.
Last week the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group published a series of seven reports aiming to renew and rapidly accelerate Wales’s approach to achieving net zero. The reports attempt to outline actionable pathways which will help to tackle the answers to five key questions:
1. What could education, jobs and work look like across Wales by 2035?
2. How could Wales feed itself by 2035?
3. How could Wales heat and build homes and workplaces by 2035?
4. How could Wales meet energy needs by 2035 while phasing out fossil fuels?
5. How could people and places be connected across Wales by 2035?
The challenge group is formed by a range of experts from across academia, public and private institutions including ARCS Principle Investigator and CERIG Chair, Professor Gavin Bunting, who co-chaired the “How Could Wales Feed Itself” working group along with Sarah Dickins.
Sharing his insights on the topic Gavin said, “The food system is critical to our success in addressing climate change and ensuring the wellbeing of Wales. Our land and marine environments are unique... but they are also highly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate...We need to move to a system where food emissions are minimised and nature and biodiversity can thrive and act as a carbon sink.
The pathways we set out will take Wales towards a place where:
- Support is in place for farmers in Wales to embrace low carbon, sustainable, farming.
- There are vibrant markets for local, affordable and nutritional, sustainable food.
- All people in Wales have access to a healthy, affordable, sustainable diet, resulting in reduced health inequalities.
- The Welsh food system is resilient and diverse”.