Working Together To Create A Sustainable World Given the UK Government’s newlylaunched commitment to “build back greener” on the foundations of Wales’ distinctive low-carbon and renewable energy resources, and in alignment with the Welsh Government’s decarbonised pathway towards a ‘Whole Energy System’, CCR is today launching a series of articles highlighting the work already being done, the huge changes ahead – and the undoubted opportunities we have to build a low carbon region where ‘prosperity for all’ is a very real possibility. In this first feature, we look at the ‘big picture’ that we face as a region, a country – and as a species. In May 2021, global carbon dioxide emissions rose to 419 parts per million – the highest levels measured in the 63 years that data has been recorded. It means we have just experienced the fastest-ever 10-year average rate of increase in greenhouse gases, despite reductions in air travel and industry as a result of coronavirus – and today we are living in a world that is producing 50% higher emissions than the planet we inhabited at the beginning of the industrial age.
We cannot afford to wait to act against climate change”
Prior to this month’s G7 Summit, Sir David Attenborough stated in the starkest terms that the world’s leaders are facing the most important decisions in human history as they seek to tackle climate change, with the naturalist warning that mankind may be on the verge of “destabilising the entire planet”. The conclusion seems very simple: we cannot afford to wait to act against the threat of climate change. Government, business, communities and every one of us must work together to protect our planet and our people – creating a greener, more resilient future for us all. It’s worth noting that much is already being done in the UK, Wales – and indeed across the Cardiff Capital Region – to introduce the decarbonised energies and new ways of working that lie at the heart of a sustainable economy and society. This “race to zero” by 2050 is taking many forms and affecting everything we do and much of how we do it: from the way we warm our homes, power our workplaces, fuel our industry and distribute our goods, to the manner in which we grow our food, make our clothes and choose to travel. But there is zero room for complacency and so much more needs to be done, collaboratively and consistently, if we are to rebuild our everyday world on a renewed foundation.
The cold reality of global warming for our region CCR is home to 1.5 million people and half the economic output of Wales, both of which mean that the programmes and initiatives being undertaken ‘here’ will have a significant bearing on how successfully (and how quickly) Wales and the UK transforms to a green
4
The CCR Energy Edition
www.cardiffcapitalregion.wales
