Therefore, can I call on the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths?

Motion NDM7647 Rebecca Evans

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves that the draft The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (Amendment of 2050 Emissions Target) Regulations 2021 is made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 9 February 2021.

Motion NDM7646 Rebecca Evans

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves that the draft The Climate Change (Interim Emissions Targets) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 is made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 9 February 2021.

Motion NDM7645 Rebecca Evans

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves that the draft The Climate Change (Carbon Budgets) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 is made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 9 February 2021.

Motion NDM7644 Rebecca Evans

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves that the draft The Climate Change (Net Welsh Emissions Account Credit Limit) (Wales) Regulations 2021 is made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 9 February 2021.

Motions moved.

Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. In 2016, the Senedd legislated for Wales's first statutory emissions reduction target to cut emissions by at least 80 per cent in 2050. Just over two years ago, the Senedd legislated for three interim emissions targets and Wales's first two carbon budgets, which put us on track for 80 per cent. Since then, Wales became the first country in the world to declare a climate emergency. We have seen the increasing impact of a warming climate in Wales in the form of flooding, landslips and the impact on our marine environment. We have listened to people of all ages and backgrounds, who are demanding action to safeguard Wales's natural heritage and our communities, as well as the world's most vital ecosystems. It is right, therefore, for us to revisit our climate targets before this Senedd term draws to a close. 

As always, we have been guided by both ambition and, crucially, by evidence. When the Climate Change Committee advised Welsh Government to adopt a 95 per cent target for emissions reduction I accepted their advice whilst also stating our ambition to find ways to go further. CCC were clear the 95 per cent reduction target for Wales required the same level of effort, and many of the same actions, required of other nations to meet their targets. My ambition was not to catch up, because we had never fallen behind, but for Wales to lead the way. I received advice and recommendations from the Climate Change Committee in December, and was pleased they were able to confirm our ambition for a net-zero target for Wales consistent with the spirit of the Paris climate agreement. It's both credible and affordable, based on the evidence. 

The CCC also produced recommendations for our interim targets and our next two carbon budgets. The CCC set out in some detail how they think Wales can achieve the new targets, their blueprint. There is of course a role for new and innovative low-carbon and no-carbon technologies, but the scale of challenge means that technological solutions alone will not be sufficient. Every public body, business and community in Wales will be needed for us to succeed in delivering the social change needed to meet our increasingly ambitious climate goals. 

The CCC advice was informed by two consultation events in Wales, alongside a call for evidence. I'm grateful to everyone who fed into this process and made the advice as robust as possible. I'm also grateful to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee for considering the draft regulations and for recommending the Senedd approves them. At the request of the committee I agreed to postpone today's debate to allow more time for scrutiny. As a result, if the regulations are approved today, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will need to amend the coming into force date before signing them.

If the Senedd approves the regulations, Wales will join a very small number of countries around the world with a net-zero target in law. Wales will act in solidarity with those countries that are experiencing even more devastating climate impacts than we currently see in Wales, but who have not benefited from the high-carbon economy that has caused the problem in the first place. Wales will work with our international partners to galvanise action from countries, states and regions around the world, ahead of the all-important UN COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year. 

We are fully committed to pushing the limits of our devolved powers to deliver a fair and just transition to net zero. UK Government action is also needed so all nations of the UK can continue to develop increasingly ambitious climate goals, and deliver the scale of action needed to meet them. In recent months we have established a regular, four-nations ministerial group to guide the delivery of net zero. We must use this engagement to work collaboratively across the UK, and for all nations to challenge and support each other to go further. We will need a strong contribution from the UK Government if Wales is to achieve these new targets in a way that delivers social justice given many crucial areas of policy are largely their reserved responsibilities, such as energy generation and the overall fiscal framework within which devolved Governments operate.

We've engaged widely to develop the delivery plan to meet Wales's next carbon budget, due to be published by the end of 2021 in the new Senedd term. This engagement includes Wales's Climate Week last November, when over 2,000 people contributed to the discussions about Wales's next delivery plan. More recently, we've supported the establishment of a citizens' assembly on climate in Blaenau Gwent, which we hope can be a template for providing new opportunities for communities to directly shape climate action at a national level. Last summer, we published our engagement plan that set out our commitment to working with public bodies, businesses and communities to produce an all-Wales plan. As well as engagement events, we're inviting others to include their actions in the plan itself, meaning the plan is not just a Government plan, but a plan that will be developed and delivered by the whole of Wales.

The regulations before the Senedd today cannot be the limit of our ambition, but I believe they are a vital next step to secure the progression we have achieved in the last three years. Setting Wales's first legal framework for a net-zero target will be a major step forward, and a strong basis for collaboration across Wales's economy and society to continue to accelerate the action we take. Deputy Presiding Officer, I commend these regulations to the Senedd.

Thank you. Can I call the Chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, Mike Hedges?

Diolch. I am pleased to be able to contribute to today's debate on behalf of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. The regulations were laid on 9 February. The following day, we wrote to the Minister in accordance with Standing Order 27.8 to notify her we would be reporting on the regulations. We are grateful to the Minister for delaying the debate on the regulations by a week to enable us to report. However, we still have wider concerns about the regulation-making process, including a lack of opportunity for external scrutiny of the proposed carbon targets.

To inform our scrutiny of the regulations, we took evidence from Lord Deben, chair of the Climate Change Committee, and representatives from Friends of the Earth and WWF Cymru. We'd like to thank them for their contribution and for agreeing to give evidence at short notice. The environmental non-governmental organisations told us they would have liked to have seen a wider discussion on the proposed carbon targets, and more time made available for scrutiny of them. Committee called for exactly that when it reported on the first set of climate change regulations in 2018. In our report, we recommended that the Welsh Government consider a draft of any future regulations to facilitate Senedd and external scrutiny, and we are disappointed the Welsh Government chose not to do this.

Turning to the detail of the regulations in our report on the 2018 regulations, we highlighted that Wales's target to reduce emissions by 80 per cent to 1990 levels by 2050 was insufficient to meet the aims of the Paris agreement. The 2021 regulations rectify this, setting a target to achieve net zero by 2050, more ambitious interim targets and tighter carbon budgets. The new net-zero targets brings Wales in line with the other UK nations, which we very much welcome. This is particularly timely as the UK prepares to jointly host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP26, in November.

However, representatives of the environment sector told us that there is potential for Wales to demonstrate greater ambition, and go even further than the targets set out in the 2021 regulations. We believe there is merit in revisiting the targets in due course, in particular to ensure they fully reflect the social, economic and environmental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting more ambitious targets is the easy part; achieving those targets will be, by the Welsh Government's own admission, extraordinarily challenging. The CCC's latest progress report points out that Wales is not currently on track to achieve an 80 per cent reduction, let alone net zero by 2050. The CCC has made it clear that to achieve net zero, action is required across all areas and all sectors without delay.

We know that the net-zero targets will be crucial in the fight against climate change. While Welsh Government has talked about redoubling efforts and increasing the scale and rate of policy effort, it must now deliver on those promises. We expect the next low-carbon delivery plan, due in November 2021, to reflect the new and more ambitious targets set out in the 2021 regulations. The plan will be critical not only to ensure that the 2021-25 carbon budget is met, but that the 2030 interim target can be achieved.

Given the significance of the plan, it is inconceivable that stakeholders and Members of the Senedd would not be given an opportunity to consider the plan before it is finalised. As yet, the Welsh Government has been unwilling to commit to consulting on its draft of the plan. We ask the Welsh Government to reconsider this decision and give a commitment in principle to do this. 

Finally, our scrutiny of the 2018 and 2021 regulations and our wider climate change work have highlighted key weaknesses in the statutory framework for carbon emission reduction. Our report on the 2021 regulations touches on how these weaknesses can be addressed. We believe there's a more substantive piece of work to do to review the statutory framework, with a view to introducing more rigorous scrutiny procedures, improving transparency, and strengthening accountability arrangements. We intend to include this in our legacy report, for our successor committee in the sixth Senedd to consider.

We are pleased to recommend to the Senedd that it approves the regulations. It will be a matter for the sixth Senedd to ensure that the promise of action to achieve the new targets is delivered. Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd.

Thank you. Can I call on the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Mick Antoniw?

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and after such detailed reports on such important climate change policy issues, I'm afraid my report might be something of an anticlimax. We considered these regulations grouped for debate this afternoon at our meeting on 1 March. Our report on each of the four sets of regulations contained the same technical reporting point. That point noted an error in the preamble for each set of regulations. In response to our reports, the Welsh Government has accepted the errors, and we welcome the Welsh Government's intentions to correct the errors in the versions signed by the Minister. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.

I wish to speak once in relation to all four instruments known collectively as the climate change (Wales) regulations 2021. Having considered these in our CCERA committee and read the short report by the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, I am pleased to give these regulations my full support. Now, whilst this is a step in the right direction, though, it is symbolic of some lack of ambition that the Welsh Government has had since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, June.

Of course, it is welcome news that section 29 is being amended, so that '80%' is substituted by '100%', but we are the last in the UK to come in line with the net-zero targets. In fact, I agree with the view expressed by the environmental sector that there is potential for Wales to demonstrate greater ambition and go even further than the targets that are set out here in these regulations. A brilliant example is the agricultural sector. Whilst we have seen you break one promise by dedicating Welsh Government resources to disproportionately target agricultural pollution across Wales, and break another by failing to deliver a clean air Act, there is a need for us to celebrate and back the huge effort that is being made by our farmers across Wales.

I am proud of the fact that NFU Cymru and the NFU have set the ambitious goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the whole of agriculture in Wales and England by 2040. As the president of NFU Cymru has rightly highlighted, there is no single answer. To achieve the aim, we need a range of measures that fall under three broad headings: improving farmers' productive efficiency; improving land management and enhancing land use to capture more carbon; boosting renewable energy and the wider bioeconomy. So, I do encourage you to endorse the 'Achieving Net Zero: Farming's 2040 Goal' report, and act on its asks, including: developing future agricultural policy that provides a long-term commitment to supporting the transition to net-zero agriculture, with a focus on productivity underpinned by measures to provide stability and address volatility beyond the control of individual farm businesses; support novel building and insulation materials like sheep's wool, and policy measures to facilitate further uptake, addressing current barriers; and a route to market for small to large-scale renewable energy projects.

You already know that I think that the Agriculture (Wales) White Paper fails to champion productivity and could sadly lead to a higher reliance on imports. You already know that I want you to support my Welsh wool pledge. And you already know my views on your failures with renewable energy, such as the most recent retrograde step of scrapping business rate grants for hydropower schemes in private ownership from 1 April 2021, and this has the potential to negatively impact on 75 per cent of small-scale hydro operators in Wales. At a time when the CCC's latest report points out that Wales is not currently on track to achieve an 80 per cent reduction in emissions, let alone net zero by 2050, I do encourage you to reflect on your actions and note the collective view expressed in the CCERA report on the regulations, and I quote:

'Rhetoric must now be met with bold and decisive action.'

This climate crisis now—we've had 'climate change' and then 'climate emergency'; it is fair to say that we are now in a climate crisis. Hopefully, the next Welsh Government, whoever it may be, will provide the bold and decisive action that is desperately needed now as we go forward. Thank you. Diolch.

Plaid Cymru will be supporting these regulations today, but the question that we all need to ask ourselves is whether these targets are adequate. Are we moving swiftly enough? And is reaching net zero by 2050 sufficiently ambitious in the face of the climate and nature emergency that we're experiencing?

When this Senedd supported a Plaid Cymru motion to declare a climate emergency two years ago, we all expected a response from Government that would be more similar to the response that we've seen as a result of the pandemic, not the lack of action that we have seen to date. I don't think that these targets are sufficient; I'm strongly of the view that the Welsh Government should commit to net zero far sooner than 2050. The Minister, in her opening comments, mentioned the need to galvanise other nations in their attempts to tackle this issue. Well, there are a number of nations around the world that are aiming to transfer to net zero far quicker than we are. Sweden has a target of 2045, Iceland is looking at 2040, Austria 2040, Finland 2035. And there are subnational states that are far more ambitious yet, even if the state itself isn't as ambitious. Now, there's a comparison with our situation here in Wales. Jämtland, a region of Sweden, is looking for net zero by 2030; the city region of Copenhagen in Denmark is targeting 2025.

I know that these regulations are implementing the CCC recommendations, but we shouldn't be content with that. It's a process of negotiation with them that we need here; we need to introduce a work programme and an action plan that's far more ambitious and that would then be reflected in the targets that they recommend for us. And we need more ambition. The UN environmental programme has shown that a reduction of 7.6 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions is the average global minimum that's required to remain within the Paris agreement aims, and in addition to that, the Paris agreement expects wealthy nations, such as the UK and Wales, to be far more ambitious in terms of reducing emissions, as compared to developing nations.

Therefore, whilst we will support these regulations today, I want to make it clear that a Plaid Cymru Government in the next Senedd would review these targets and would change them to commit to far more ambitious net-zero targets than what's before us today.

I very much welcome the new targets, and I think that we all have to do what we can in everything we do; it isn't just down to Government, it's down to every single one of us. The closure of Aberthaw coal-fired power station was the low-hanging fruit. We always knew that it was going to be a big one in terms of reducing our carbon emissions, but that is a relatively straightforward thing to do. We have to take action now so that the heavy lifting is done before 2030 if we are going to meet our zero-carbon 2050 target. The reason, Janet Finch-Saunders, that Wales was the last to declare net zero was to take account of the fact that we had our heritage of heavy industry, including steel, on which the rest of the UK relies. The clean air Act will follow in the next Parliament as long as Welsh Labour is returned as the main party, and it's only been postponed because of COVID.

I want to focus on the need to ensure that all our buildings are net zero, as soon as we can practically manage that. I'm very pleased to read that the Construction Industry Training Board has really thought about this and has advised that we need to create at least 12,000 specialist jobs by 2028 in order to not just build the power stations of the future, which are going to be homes, but also to retrofit all our existing buildings, which are going to still be 80 per cent of our buildings in 2050. Those are very, very important contributions to ensuring that we get where we need to be, but there are other things we need to explore further. I was very surprised in Lord Deben's report of the UK Climate Change Committee to see the very small number of heat pumps that are being used in Wales, which is surprising, simply because there are so many homes not on the grid, and heat pumps provide a really good alternative renewable energy source for buildings in areas that are not on the grid. That's something that we clearly need to develop further.

We are also going to need to legislate to ensure that no new buildings are going to be anything less than net zero. I'm glad to say that Cardiff and Vale health board is really taking this on as one of the things we must do. Certainly, the way in which they developed the Lakeside wing, the Nightingale hospital at the Heath, has all the features we ought to expect from all new buildings. And for those house builders who continue to build to the same old, same old standards, we need to introduce legislation to put a stop to that as soon as we possibly can.

I welcome the amendments to our emissions targets. Faced with one of the biggest threats to the planet, our nation and our way of life, the previous response was not sufficient to meet the threat head on. Thankfully, the debate has moved on from whether or not human activity has irreparably damaged the climate to what we're going to do about it. Even with us achieving net zero over the next three decades, future generations will have to live with the impact from climate change. Frequent extreme weather events will see Wales bombarded with winter flooding and summer droughts, affecting every aspect of our lives. Added to this, rising sea levels will threaten our coastal communities, and this is with us taking action. If we had stuck with the Welsh Government's previous targets, we would be contributing to much more damaging impacts on our climate and our ecosystem. As it stands, net zero by 2050 is the minimum we should be setting our sights on. I welcome the Welsh Government introducing these changes now, and hope that whoever is in Government following the Senedd elections will commit to accelerating the timeline. Yes, achieving these reductions will be tough, but things will be even tougher if we don't. I urge Members to support all four sets of regulations for the sake of our future generations. Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.

Thank you. I have no Members who've indicated they wish to intervene, therefore I call the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to reply to the debate—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Achieving the new targets will be a huge challenge, but the cost of action is far outweighed by the cost of inaction, and the new pathway effectively brings forward our existing 80 per cent target by 15 years to 2035. Janet Finch Saunders says there's a lack of ambition; well, I don't see that lack of ambition at all. I think this Welsh Government has displayed very bold and decisive action. The changes required will affect every person, every home, every workplace, and will be really dramatic. I think Jenny Rathbone recognised that when she said that Government couldn't do this on its own. 

If I can just pick up a couple of points from Mike Hedges, the Chair of the CCERA committee, I don't recognise any of the points regarding lack of consultation; they were all spelled out in the statement and the engagement plan—and consultation on specific policy areas as well. So, I think there is, obviously, the commitment to do that. I think the response to the committee doesn't refuse to consult on the plan. We've agreed the need to work very closely with Senedd committees to maximise engagement, and obviously having an all-Wales plan means that people have an opportunity to directly input, as well as to shape the national plan.

Janet Finch-Saunders doesn't seem to understand that our emissions profile is very different to that of England and Scotland, and that's why we have different dates. Llyr Huws Gruffydd missed the point; we've brought forward earlier dates based on evidence and ambition, not just ambition alone. That's a robust way, I think, of proceeding, and we're the only part of the UK to bring forward an earlier date since the 2019 advice. We are leading the way. As you referred to, I went back to the Climate Change Committee when they came forward with the 95 per cent that they thought we could achieve by 2050 and asked them to look at how we could achieve net zero. Many of the examples that Llyr Huws Gruffydd gave of earlier net zero dates were not in legislation. They were ambitions. Of course, we share the ambition to go faster as well, but this is about setting the legal backstop.

The next Government must build on the work we've started to ensure these changes are shared fairly across our society and all regions of Wales, and they must use the recovery and the reconstruction from the pandemic to make the 2020s the decisive decade for climate action. I'm grateful to Members who have indicated support for these regulations today. I think what that will do is really add to the momentum that we have here in Wales for our contribution to global warming—by giving their support for these regulations today and setting Wales's first net-zero goal. Diolch.

The proposal is to agree the motion under item 21. Does any Member object? I don't see objections. Therefore, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36, that motion is agreed.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The proposal is to agree the motion under item 22. Does any Member object? I don't see objections. Therefore, again, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36, the motion is agreed.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The proposal is to agree the motion under item 23. Does any Member object? No. Therefore, item 23 is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The proposal is to agree the motion under item 24. Does any Member object? No. Therefore, the motion under item 24 is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.