Welsh Assembly Government sets out climate change reduction strategy

The Welsh Assembly Government has set out a strategy to achieve its three per cent year on year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The strategy, which is the first of its kind in the UK, highlights that the Welsh approach to tackling climate change will focus not only on reducing carbon emissions but also on helping the country adapt to the inevitable changes to the climate.

It is accompanied by two detailed delivery plans that set out exactly how the targets and aspirations will be achieved.

The strategy commits the Welsh Assembly Government to achieving at least a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Wales by 2020 against a 1990 baseline.

It identifies a number of key areas in which the Assembly Government will focus its action, including comprehensive approach to behaviour change, the consideration of climate change in all the Assembly Government’s decision making and delivering increased energy efficiency and making a low carbon transport a reality.

Also, ensuring that our approach to research and development, technology and skills helps Wales to gain maximum benefit from climate change business and research, creating a framework to help us adapt to climate change and using land use and spatial planning to help us move towards a low carbon economy.  

It also identifies how emission reductions can be made within the transport, agriculture, waste, business, residential and public sectors.

The Environment Minister Jane Davidson said: "This strategy is about Wales delivering on its climate change ambitions."

"Of course there are challenges ahead, in terms of technology, in terms of gaining public acceptance and in terms of delivering on the scale needed. But we must confront these challenges to protect the wellbeing of future generations here in Wales, and in many more vulnerable parts of the globe."

Further information:
Welsh Assembly Government