Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:15 pm on 18 September 2019.
I have always—well, since I studied the subject, since Margaret Thatcher first put this on the agenda by speaking to the UN about what was potentially happening with climate—[Interruption.] My view, ever since I first started looking at this issue 20 or 30 years ago, has been that it is likely that human activity is increasing the climate. What I questioned is what should be done about it, what are the policies that are being applied? Like the switch from petrol to diesel, in many of them, the costs of those policies are greater than any benefit. In this country, we have cut 40 per cent emissions. We had a target of an 80 per cent cut; there was something of a consensus, almost, developing around it. But now we've gone to a 90 or 100 per cent cut and we talk about it and we virtue signal, but do we actually will the means to do what would be needed? Do we want to shut down Port Talbot? Do we want to get rid of all the livestock farming in Wales? What about when the Committee on Climate Change advises Welsh Government of the billions we will have to switch from other priorities to climate change if we want to get even to the 90 per cent reduction, let alone net zero? Oh, they couldn't possibly manage that. [Interruption.] I give way—no, I will conclude because I am already in the red. And I say, do you want to rip out every gas boiler for every home in this country? If so, how are you going to pay for it? Start addressing some of these issues, start recognising that this country has done more than any other country in the world so far to reduce its emissions and have a sensible policy rather than just this virtue signalling, plus strikes.