2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to achieve a net-zero Wales? OQ57124

I thank Joyce Watson for that question. Llywydd, our actions are set out in the Net Zero Wales plan, which we published last week. The plan shows the range of matters for which this Senedd has responsibility, setting out actions in transport, housing, the rural economy and renewable energy amongst others.

Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Buildings account for just under a quarter of UK greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from fossil fuel heating. So, tackling climate change really does begin at home. Your Government is leading the way, with today's announcement of funding for greener social homes, and the new fossil fuel-busting standard to which 20,000 new social homes for rent will be built over the next five years. All that is absolutely fantastic news. But are you able to update the Senedd on where you are with private developers as far as getting them to adopt exactly the same standards? 

Well, Llywydd, I thank Joyce Watson for that, and for the welcome that she offered to the £150 million-worth of additional investment, which my colleague Lee Waters has been able to announce today, to improve the energy efficiency of existing social homes in Wales. But Joyce Watson is right that we have, as well, to persuade both private rented properties and home owners to take the actions, which each one of us needs to take in our own lives, if we are to reach the goal of a net-zero Wales by 2050. Some of those decisions will be difficult and challenging decisions, but, back in September, we set out the new standards that will be required from any private house building that has any element of Welsh Government grant associated with it. At the same time, we took action to make sure that new private housing, as well as public housing, cannot be built in future in Wales on land that is liable to flooding. And I know that these are challenging things that we are asking of the sector, but unless we are prepared to take those challenging decisions now, we will not be on the path to the future that we need to be, and that is what the plan of last week is designed to do. It's designed to make sure that, here in Wales, we are able to meet that targets that we have set for ourselves, to make the contributions in the whole range of areas in our own lives. Housing is certainly one of them. Today's announcement is part of that. The challenges we set down for private home ownership have to be part of that same picture. 

First Minister, in the Welsh Government's 'All Wales Plan 2021-25 Working Together to Reach Net Zero' it was revealed that your pledge campaign has secured only 118 pledges from the public sector in the last 23 months. So, despite your Welsh Government declaring this climate emergency in 2019, only 16 local authorities have followed suit, and only nine local authorities are included on the list of pledge campaign respondents. Now, we all know that engagement brings about action, and this pledge campaign has certainly not succeeded as yet. Now, prior to recess, I was really pleased, with other Members here, to attend the Climate Cymru event on the steps of the Senedd to hear from some of the 10,000 diverse Welsh voices who wish to see action from your Welsh Government and our public bodies across Wales. So, First Minister, will you acknowledge these voices by committing to bring forward the deadline for the new engagement plan so that the failure of the current campaign can actually been seen now to spark some action, and that any failures can be addressed now, sooner rather than much later? Diolch. 

Llywydd, I'm afraid the Member's contribution is not only ungenerous, but it's largely nonsensical as well. I've had an opportunity—I wonder whether she has—to actually read the document to which she refers. It's actually a hugely heartening document, Llywydd. It sets out pledges from right across Wales, from individuals right through to our largest organisations in the public sector and in business as well. It gives you a real sense of the commitment that there is here in Wales to this very challenging but utterly necessary agenda. I applaud the actions of our local authorities in Wales. Local authorities of all political persuasion are taking action to make sure that they can play their part. There's a real compelling account in the plan from Carmarthenshire, for example, celebrating the actions they have already taken and demonstrating what more they will commit to doing in the rest of this decade. The One Planet Cardiff plan of Cardiff city council is a consultation on how the council can be carbon neutral by 2030 in a green, sustainable city. Rather than carping from the sidelines, the Member would be much better off celebrating the actions that people in all parts of Wales are taking, including our local authorities; they are making real efforts to get us to where we need to be. She only sits on the sidelines and criticises others.