Facing up to the Climate and Nature Emergency

Facing up to the Climate and Nature Emergency is the challenge of our time, and is what we will be most judged upon by future generations. Unless governments across the world step up, freak weather events will become commonplace, drastic changes to our climate will affect the most disadvantaged, and our natural world will suffer irreperable harm.

To be serious about climate change we must tackle it across multiple areas, embedding it at the heart of decision-making at all levels of government. Addressing our harmful impact on the planet should be the collective responsibility of the whole government, guided by the Minister for the Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs who will have overall direct responsibility.

We would ensure that all departmental budgets within Government are aligned with nature and climate restoration. This way, all Ministers are investing and embedding nature in decisions which will ultimately deliver for everybody - from health through to local government planning decisions. Our government would also review the entire budget to ensure that the resource allocated to decarbonising and restoring nature matches the urgent need, and is reflective of our ambition.

We would require local authorities to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) within their area through setting local GHG budgets. Local government pension schemes should divest from fossil fuels, and collaborate with the Welsh Pension Partnership to identify suitable reinvestment opportunities.

We would create, under the umbrella of the Development Bank and in conjunction with the National Infrastructure Commission, a new Welsh National Infrastructure Bank. This will finance renewable energy generation and storage for public buildings, homes and workplaces. It would offer credit for local energy coops and utilities so that as much as possible of this new infrastructure can be democratically owned at the local level.