We all have part to play in our future

THE Welsh Government’s detailed plan for Wales to be carbon net zero by 2050 deserves support.

For too long there has been much rhetoric but not enough action.

If progress is to be made in the battle against climate change, it has to involve tangible change.

It’s easy for politicians to set carbon reduction targets whose success will be judged many years later, at a time when those responsible for devising them will no longer be in office to be held to account.

While it is highly unlikely that any members of today’s Welsh Cabinet will still be in power in 2050, they have taken the responsible decision to draft a plan that is full of specific ideas.

Some of the actions required will be implemented by bodies in the public sector, but others will be the responsibility of individuals.

People are being asked to reduce their use of cars by 10%.

This might seem far less than draconian, but there are many for whom travelling on public transport is either not a feasible option or one that entails jumping through hoops.

Of course there are those who have a fundamental antipathy towards travelling by public transport, but they are in the minority.

In Wales, the Welsh Government needs to ensure that using public transport is more passengerfriendly than it is at the moment.

People deserve better than to be forced to travel on crowded trains without enough carriages to make the journey a pleasure.

A major shift towards renewable energy, together with the elimination of gas boilers from people’s homes, is also a crucial part of the strategy, and it is right that incentives should be offered to households prepared to use more environmentally friendly heating systems.

Retrofitting existing homes to reduce heat loss makes total sense, while Wales could learn a lot from Scandinavian countries about integrated heating systems on new housing estates that are environmentally friendly.

There must be no hesitation about the need to oblige developers to conform to net zero requirements.

Combating climate change must no longer be seen as a desirable add-on to a modern lifestyle.

Instead it must be hardwired into everyone from an early age.

We all have a part to play.