UKCCC advice - our reaction

Responding to the UK Committee on Climate Change’s advice to the Welsh Government on emissions targets, published today (17 December 2020), Haf Elgar, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:

‘The UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC)'s advice urging Wales to be net zero by 2050 is a step forward, and an improvement on last year’s advice. But it still falls short of the ambition needed to address the climate emergency.

"Now is the time for Wales to be bold. We urge the Welsh Government to aim high, and endeavour to go further and faster than the UKCCC’s recommendations, so we can reach net zero emissions as quickly as possible.

“We are already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change with flooding in communities in Wales, as well as the extreme weather experienced by the poorest people in developing countries. We must do everything we can to cut our emissions and avoid runaway climate change.

“The next few years are critical – and next May’s Senedd elections will be crucial for setting Wales on the right path. We need a climate action plan which makes changes across all policy areas and leads us to a green and fair recovery.

“Take transport, for example. Imagine a network of cycle superhighways, combined with a fully integrated public transport so there is one network, one timetable and one ticket, as in places like Switzerland, and service standards so people can benefit from more frequent buses and trains, wherever they live in Wales. A transport system like this would encourage people to leave their cars at home and it is exactly the scale of change needed to get us to net zero before 2050.”