The Welsh Labour Government has consistently led the way in tackling climate change. It was the first to declare a climate emergency and it has led the way to our nation being the third best in the world at recycling, and committed to protecting biodiversity, and raised awareness of the nature emergency along with the climate emergency. This dedication to making real change has been seen through multiple pieces of landmark legislation to protect our local and global environment, such as the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and successive environment Acts. 

We know, however, that Wales can't stand alone. Inter-governmental co-operation will, of course, be necessary to tackle climate change, but we should be extremely cautious when looking to work with the Conservative UK Government. The Tory 10-point plan does little to make a real difference and focuses instead on the continuation of profiteering from our resources in a more efficient way. The plan also fails to focus on the international co-operative greed that has allowed and promoted things like mass consumerism, plastic waste and the inevitable catastrophe facing us. The proposed additional spend of £4 billion is nowhere near what is required to make a real impact on the climate emergency. The UK Government also continues to sell short my region, failing to invest in rail electrification of the entire north Wales main line, a key step backwards towards a net-zero public transport system.

We need to encourage people to continue to recycle in Wales, and not listen to the Prime Minister, which could have set us back years, and all the work of Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities would have been just totally set back. Kerbside sorted, clean, recycled product is a valued commodity, and the truth of the matter is that, in England, recycling rates are as low as 45 per cent because of co-mingling, which leads to a contaminated product that cannot be recycled.

Deposit-return schemes may work when linked to the producer, but should not replace kerbside-sorted recycling, and can otherwise add extra processes, as seen with the pilot in Conwy. Recycling is not a solution, either, for consumerism. It is always best to reduce, reuse and then recycle. We need to move forward with producer responsibility legislation across all UK nations and work to reduce the use of single-use plastic. Acting Llywydd, it is action, not words, that matter, and whilst the Conservative Party in Government continues to approve climate-wrecking oil and coal projects and cut taxes, which directly promotes the use of frivolous domestic flights, while moving income from our public transport infrastructure, I do not believe we can take their idea of a green recovery seriously. 

Wales should not be held back by Ministers in England when it comes to our climate emergency and our future. It is the Labour Party who has always taken a green new deal seriously, and the Labour Government who will deliver a sustainable future for Wales. I'm sure that Welsh Government will welcome plans by a college in my constituency, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, on their Rhyl campus, to build a centre for engineering excellence that will train students in the technical skills for the renewable energy industry, and especially the windfarms off the coast of north Wales. It has the potential to become a national centre for the industry, training people from across the country, including in England. It will upskill our local workforce and will be a real boost to the economy of the region, whilst promoting our efforts to become carbon neutral. It is opportunities like these in Rhyl that we must take seriously if we are going to have a green recovery that benefits the people of Wales, as well as protects our environment, and mitigates the climate crisis we face. Diolch.