Two years ago, of course, when this Senedd supported the motion to declare a climate emergency, we became the first Parliament in the world to do so. And doing so was a clear statement that not only is there an emergency, but, of course, there's a need for us to respond to that emergency in a way that reflects the seriousness of the crisis that we face. Now, these actions are not only for us as politicians to take, but, of course, there's a role for all of society to respond to that. But it is incumbent on us as politicians to create much of the legislative framework that facilitates the action that's required. This Bill, and the amendments before you today in this group, from myself, numbered from 51 through to 58, offer us an opportunity to make sure that our education system in Wales plays its part in that respect.

The intention, therefore, of my amendments is to add 'climate crisis and ecological emergency' to the list of mandatory elements within the areas of learning and experience, alongside relationships and sexuality education, religion, values and ethics, and, of course, English and Welsh. They also require Ministers to issue a code setting out the themes and matters to be encompassed by the mandatory element of climate crisis and ecological emergency, and I also outline the procedure for issuing or revising the code.

Another area my amendments touch upon is the section in the Bill on mental health. There's the duty to have regard to mental health and emotional well-being, and I ask Members to support my amendment 57, which explicitly refers to the need to consider climate anxiety as part of that. Doing so will provide support to children and young people who request it, and ensure, of course, as well, that teacher education is provided to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out their obligations under this section. Climate anxiety, as I'm sure Members will appreciate, is recognised as an increasingly prominent issue, and this is an opportunity for us to reflect that in this legislation.

I've been working on these amendments with a group called Teach the Future. Some of you, I'm sure, will have met with their representatives in recent weeks and months. They're campaigning to ensure that students in Wales are taught about the climate emergency and ecological crisis—how they're caused, what we can do to mitigate them and what our future lives and jobs are going to look like because of them. They want to see sustainability and these crises become key content in all subject areas. They want to see educators trained in how to teach about these difficult topics in a way, of course, that empowers students, and they're campaigning for the necessary funding and resources to do this.

Whilst people are aware, maybe, that there is a climate crisis, they might not necessarily be aware of what that really means to them and their lives. Educating students, arming them with that understanding, will increase public awareness and lead to that wider behavioural change that we need to see if we are to tackle this emergency successfully. Polling has shown that many people don't appreciate how serious or immediate the threat is, and with climate-related disasters increasing each year—and heaven knows, we've seen major flooding incidents in Wales of late, haven't we—it's never been more important to properly educate young people about the world that we and they are, and will be, living in.

It isn't just Teach the Future, of course, that have called for education on the biodiversity crisis and tackling climate change to become mandatory. A whole host of environmental organisations, most recently as part of the Wales Environment Link, have also been campaigning for this. Wales Environment Link reminds us that, in order to build a future generation equipped to deal with the challenges in the coming decades, we need to ensure that ecoliteracy is embedded into the new Welsh curriculum and the areas of learning. We have an opportunity to achieve this today, and I would urge Members to support my amendments. Diolch.