Wales can be UK’s brilliant green light

THERESA May did not hug a husky to prove her environmental credential yesterday but instead went to a wetlands centre and unveiled a 25-year plan which would see avoidable plastic waste eradicated by 2042.

It is far from certain that she will be in place in 25 months but this may have been an attempt to get people to look beyond Brexit Day in March next year and think about the long-term future of the country.

Soon, MPs and Lords will once again be debating the UK’s departure from the EU and ministers have the prospect of intense negotiations in Brussels. But Mrs May was right to grab an opportunity to focus attention on the environment.

A first duty of any Government – and every generation – is to ensure we pass on the country to our children in the best possible state. Mrs May wants her administration to “leave the natural environment in a better state than we found it”.

In a political culture in which parties are focused on the next election and competing with limited resources to appeal to the broadest spread of voters, it can require courage and discipline to craft policies that are designed to help people who may not yet be born.

Critics of her plan argue that it is light on substance and a Government serious about making a difference would have a clear set of proposals to put into law and tough targets. The proposals to bring the carrier bag charge in line with the one Wales has had since 2011 is hardly radical.

Cynics will wonder if the PM is in search of easy headlines to counter allegations that while she is in office she is not in power and scarcely able to assert her authority over her own MPs. If the Tories are to stand a chance of winning a majority they need to make inroads among young voters, and they cannot do that if they do not appear to take the environment seriously.

However, all politicians make electoral calculations and there is no shame in trying to address the concerns of voters – especially when there is so much to be concerned about.

People are waking up to the devastation that plastic has caused to the natural environment. We also understand that a cleaner future will be a better one.

One of the reasons why there is so much excitement about the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon is that we appreciate that renewable energy sources offer an alterative to polluting fuels imported from countries with unsavoury regimes.

A society that cuts down on waste, that provides secure and affordable energy, that protects the natural environment and that has excellent public transport will be a happier and healthier one in which to raise a family.

Mrs May was right to argue it is a “false choice” to say you have to choose between economic growth or environmental protection. A country that runs on the cleanest technology and with the greatest efficiency will be a truly green and pleasant land – and Wales should blaze a trail for others to follow.