10. Short Debate: Broaden the spectrum: Adding blue to the green recovery

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:03 pm on 21 October 2020.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 6:03, 21 October 2020

Diolch, Llywydd. The debate today is broadening the spectrum: adding blue to the green recovery, putting our seas at the heart of the green economy and post-COVID-19 social settlement. Huw Irranca, I have agreed to give a minute to.

Time and tide wait for no man or woman. We invoke the sea to describe the inevitable, and today we face three challenges that in their own way make social and economic change inevitable: coronavirus, Brexit and climate change. I want to talk about what these changes mean for Welsh waters and for the Wales national marine plan. We hear a lot about the green recovery and the green new deal, and that is fantastic, but I'm keen that, as we develop policies around those principles, we don't forget the blue, or our waters. As a peninsular nation, Wales is well placed to harness the power of our water and enjoy its benefits, as well as inherently invested in its health. As someone who represents the majority of our coastline, I'm always mindful of the fact that Wales's marine area is over a third larger than its land mass, and I'm sensitive to the view that our coastal towns and villages are not museum pieces or stage sets; they're living, working communities and the original stewards of our oceans. So, we need to broaden the spectrum, to add blue to the green recovery. Perhaps we could start calling it the 'teal new deal'.

This time last year—and it has been an even longer year in politics—the Minister published the national marine plan, which sets out the rules for sustainable use of our seas for the next 20 years. It's one of the most important documents that this Welsh Government has brought forward, and it wouldn't have happened without your determination, Minister, and I thank you for that.