Food, fitness and fuel: The key changes that must be made if Wales is to reach ‘net zero’
PEOPLE should eat healthier, stop heating their homes with gas and cut the miles they travel in their cars by 10%.
They’re just three of the things Welsh Government says will need to change to make Wales greener.
Other targets are building 20,000 new low carbon homes, planting 30 new woodlands and completely abolishing single-use plastic. Peat in compost will be banned, zero waste will be sent to landfill and people will be encouraged to shop and consume goods and services closer to home.
Today, Welsh Government has unveiled its £5bn plans to be net zero by 2050.
Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. Net zero is met when the amount we add is no more than the amount taken away.
Wales’ First Minister called for a “decade of action” as he officially launched the Net Zero Wales plan ahead of the crunch climate talks in Glasgow which start this weekend.
In order for Wales to get to net zero carbon, carbon emissions need to be cut by nearly two-thirds by 2030 compared to 1999 levels. It means we need to make more progress in the next 10 years than we have in the past 30 years.
Mr Drakeford has already warned “we are all going to have to live our lives differently” when it comes to the fight against climate change.
The Net Zero Wales plan announced today, which includes more than 120 government policies and proposals, sets out exactly what this means over the next three decades.
Here are 26 key things that will change:
Electricity and heat generation
From 2021 there will be no newbuild unabated fossil fuel generation in Wales. And by 2035, no greenhouse gases will be emitted from power stations as fossil fuels are replaced with low carbon sources.
By 2025, 1GW additional renewable energy capacity will be installed.
Any additional supply will be met by decarbonised power plants from 2035.
It will be up to individuals to make better choices on the amount of energy they consume and how they heat their homes which means switching to more low carbon electricity and heating fuels.
Transport
Emissions from public transport need to be reduced by 22% in 2025 (from 2019) and by 98% in 2050 through demand reduction, modal shift and the uptake of low carbon technologies.
By 2030, the number of car miles travelled per person will be cut by 10%. In addition, the number of trips taken using public transport and active travel will jump to 35% by 2025 and 39% by 2030.
By 2025, 10% of passenger travel will be by zero emission car and 48% of new car sales will be zero emission and there will be a comprehensive network of electric vehicle charging points on major trunk roads.
All existing road proposals will be paused and reviewed, with a new way of assessing the appropriateness of future road schemes.
Welsh Government will push the UK Government for a full devolution of rail services a n d infrastructure and to develop rail services and provide new stations between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction.
Housing
By 2025, 148,000 houses will have retrofit measures to reduce heat loss.
By 2025, all new affordable homes will be built to net zero carbon with the ambition that net zero standards are adopted by developers of all new homes regardless of tenure.
20,000 new low-carbon homes will be built in Wales.
More support will be given to private landlords to improve energy efficiency.
Industry and business
By 2025 the electrification of industrial processes will be increased by an average of 3% and the use of hydrogen will be increased by an average of 3%.
Industries will be encouraged to switch to low-carbon fuel sources.
People will be encouraged to shop and consume goods and services closer to home, supporting local town centres and to also use their buying power to support businesses which are leaders in tack
ling climate change.
Farming
A Sustainable Farming Scheme will require all farms across Wales to reduce on farm emissions through improved livestock, land and manure management.
10% of agricultural land will be shared to support treeplanting by 2050 while maintaining a strong food production sector across Wales.
People will be encouraged to consider their diet and to eat healthier, more sustainably sourced food and to actively consider the positive impacts of eating locally sourced food and minimising food waste.
Land use and forestry
By 2030, 43,000 hectares of woodland will be created and a further 180,000 hectares by 2050. Many of the trees planted will contribute to the new National Forest for Wales, which will stretch from the north of Wales to the south.
3,000 hectares of peatland will be on a recovery pathway by 2025.
The sale of peat in compost will be banned.
Waste management
By 2025, zero waste will be sent to landfill and Wales will reach zero waste (100% recycling) by 2050 meaning after 2025, there will be no need for new landfill sites for waste generated in Wales.
By 2025, greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites will reduce by 19%, compared to 2019.
More commonly littered, single use plastics will be legally abolished.
New business recycling regulations will come in force in early 2022 and an extended producer responsibility for packaging will be introduced in 2024.
What does Wales need to achieve between now and 2050?
The targets and budgets set in law followed the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recommendations and require Wales to reduce CO₂ emissions by 37% for 2025 and by 58% for 2030. By 2040, we need to achieve a 63% reduction and by 2050 it needs to be at least 100% (i.e. net zero).
The concept of achieving “net zero” emissions is at the heart of the
UN’s Race to Zero campaign and a
central part of the push to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C.
How does the plan fit in with what the UK Government is doing?
UK Government caused anger with Welsh Government by announcing its own plans for a switch from gas boilers to heat pumps without any consultation. Welsh Government said it had been promised consultation.
UK Government promised £5,000 grants despite critics saying that would not be enough for many homes.
This plan calls on the UK Government to be “more transparent and collaborative” when it comes to working alongside its Welsh counterparts to decarbonise the UK as a whole.
The UK Government also has a legislative target for net zero in 2050. Collectively, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland accounted for 22% of UK total emissions in 2019 but the powers to tackle those are not all devolved.
That means that while the UK Government is responsible for some of the actions needed to tackle the climate emergency in Wales, the UK Government will rely upon action by Welsh Government to deliver on its own legislated targets.
Wales’ contribution is particularly important to the UK target due to its large agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Conversely, the CCC estimates nearly 40% of all abatement required in Wales in the next 30 years will take place in sectors where key powers are “partially” or “mostly” devolved.