The Challenge and Opportunity Cutting Across Our Lives Climate Change is one of the most critical challenges ever faced by humankind. When the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel warned us in 2018 that we had less than 12 (now 9) years to avoid climate breakdown, it was no sensationalist headline or lazy clickbait. It was the considered view of world-renowned experts that we are in danger of creating an unsustainable future for the generations to come. The World Economic Forum Global Risks Report of 2020 showed in stark detail the stand-out long-term risk being faced by us all if we fail to fundamentally change the way we power our industry, fuel our transport, heat our homes, grow our food, go about our work, distribute our goods – and consume the products and services we need for a civilised way of life.
“ The Challenge and Opportunity cutting across all our lives” Against this sobering backdrop, it’s worth noting that Wales has been at the forefront of the UK’s movement towards decarbonisation and sustainability. The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 introduced a duty on Welsh Government to develop carbon budgets for Wales and to reduce emissions by at least 80% 2050. If that figure seems daunting, you could be forgiven for looking away now … as that target is likely to be increased to 95% based on predictions from the UK Committee on Climate. No responsible person, of course, should look away or shrug their shoulders at the enormity of it all. The plain fact is that progress to date has not been fast enough, which means we need to reduce our emissions dramatically in this decade to achieve the target of a 45% reduction by 2030. There’s no-
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The CCR Energy Edition
one to blame or point fingers at. This is what it is, due in large part to Wales’ legacy of industry (50% of emissions are produced by a small number of industrial sites) and the fact that we have one of the UK’s most energy-inefficient housing stocks.
“ Much needs to change. Forever. Right now.” Much needs to change. Forever. And Right Now. Welsh Government is doing all a Government can do: making a policy commitment for the public sector to be carbon neutral by 2030, aligning their financial budget cycles with carbon budgets, to give a greater focus on investing in decisions that achieve carbon reduction targets (the only government in the UK to do so) – and calling on the world’s leaders for greater action in the name of climate justice. But this is not just about ‘The Government’ making decisions or choosing where to spend money. Far from it. This is not about ‘others’. This is about ‘us’. It’s about each and every one of us making the right day-to-day decisions to create a decarbonised world. A world where future generations can live and prosper – or not. The positive news (as this Cardiff Capital Region series has shown) is that the wheels of a profound transformation are beginning to turn. We’re now understanding our emissions and where we
www.cardiffcapitalregion.wales
