The next item therefore is the statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change on COP26. And I call on the Minister to make a statement. Lee Waters.

Diolch, Llywydd. Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the latest data signals a code red for humanity. This year, Canada registered its highest ever temperature, shattering the previous record by around 5 full degrees. It rained rather than snowed for the first time at the peak of the Greenland ice sheet.

Closer to home, we've seen the severe impact of heavy rain, resulting in increased flash flooding. Climate change is not just a problem we will face in 2050; it's a problem we face now. As the Met Office has told us, because of carbon emissions already in the atmosphere, sea level rises of 0.5m are already locked in. And according to Professor Richard Betts, the Met Office chief scientist, we are facing sea levels rises of a metre in the next 80 years based on current policies.

Llywydd, we have rightly declared a climate emergency and we now need to act accordingly. We have seen some progress in responding to the scale of the challenge. This Senedd agreed in March to change our legislative targets. Wales now has a net-zero target and, just a few weeks ago, we published our Net Zero Wales plan—a credible, practical way of driving down carbon emissions over the next five years, setting us on the path to a stronger, fairer and greener future.

We brought forward our plan, even though we faced delays in the advice we've received from the UK Climate Change Committee, because we wanted to go to COP with a credible plan, setting out Wales's commitment to play our part. COP26 needed to be a pivotal moment, not just for Wales but globally. It was the fifth summit since the Paris agreement in 2015, and the first reckoning on the world’s collective ambition and action to tackle climate change. This means action both on emissions, but also on adaptation and how we support developing countries to deal with the consequences of wildfires, droughts, storm surges, flooding and rising sea levels.

The Welsh Government was an active presence throughout the COP summit, as part of the UK delegation. I know many other Members of the Senedd were also in Glasgow, representing our Parliament. And I hope their experiences were as challenging and inspiring as mine and Julie James's were. We heard directly from the Guarani people in the rainforest of Brazil, and from the Wampis people in Peru. Their forests capture the equivalent of all Welsh emissions on an annual basis. We were both struck by the challenges they face as their homes and cultures are threatened by farmers and loggers, in direct response to consumer demand from our countries and others. And the message from COP is that we need to change.

Throughout the summit, we engaged with young people and were inspired by their determination and their outrage. We exchanged notes with leaders from places such as Sao Paulo, Quebec, and California, sharing the lessons we have learned and exchanging insights. Amongst many memorable encounters, the First Minister spoke bilaterally with the Governor of Louisiana, who has tens of thousands of people living in hotel rooms after hurricane Aida. He took the opportunity to use our membership of the well-being economy network to ensure that transition to a greener future is one with people at its heart. I met with Jenipher Sambazi from Mbale in Uganda, who is an inspirational example of how women are leading the way in fighting climate change, and supporting their communities to make them resilient for the future.

We also played our part in encouraging others to step up and take action. Our active membership in networks such as RegionsAdapt and the Under2 Coalition is a key mechanism for this. In 2015, Wales was a founding member of the Under2 Coalition, which has now grown to bring together 260 governments, representing 50 per cent of the global economy and some 1.75 billion people. Focused at the so-called sub-national level, the coalition offers us a chance to engage and connect with, and to learn from and be inspired by, nations worldwide. The group is particularly important where the national governments are reluctant to take difficult decisions, or action is slow. For example, while President Trump was in power, and he took America out of the Paris agreement, the coalition that we helped create allowed dozens of states to stay connected to the global climate change agenda and make progress. In times of global adversity and change, the role of the state and regional governments is even more important as so much of the change needed is at a local level.

Likewise, I was proud that we were part of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, which was launched at the summit, led by Costa Rica and Denmark, which is the European Union's largest oil producer. We were the only UK nation to be part of the 10 core membership. And I think, by creating momentum, we will help others to join in that alliance to show a practical way forward. Regardless of the outcomes at COP it is something that we can do.

As part of her programme, the Minister for Climate Change attended the Under2 Coalition general assembly, where we looked at how we could increase our outreach, prioritise action and further share and learn from one another. For example, we are working through partnerships such as south Australia’s net-zero emission policy forum, which looks at accelerating the transition to net zero. At the assembly, she emphasised the need for a fair and just transition, leaving no one and no place behind as we move to a greener future. She also spoke about how we are supporting the Future Fund, which enables voices to be heard at events such as COP, and how we are committed to working with others, such as the Scottish Government, through the Financing a Just Transition Alliance.

Now that COP26 has drawn to a close, I want to draw the Senedd’s attention both to what has been achieved as well as, crucially, the next steps. There was genuine progress made on methane, on global finance and to start shifting countries beyond coal, oil and gas. But we have far more to do to stimulate the ambition and the action needed to avoid catastrophic global warming in the lifetimes of our children. This Government is committed to taking the action needed to play our fair role on the global stage, and I encourage Senedd Members to join in that commitment. Diolch. 

The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.

Conservative spokesperson, Janet Finch-Saunders. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you, Deputy Minister for your statement. I'm sure though that you would want to join with me in congratulating COP26 president, Alok Sharma, for what has been a successful global event. I think, it's fair to say, there was some nail biting on his part towards the very end. But we have to be realistic, and the world was on course for a devastating 4 degrees of warming this century. After Paris, we were heading for 3 degrees and, following Glasgow, we are now facing 1.8 degrees. However, as the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, our Prime Minister, has stated, that's still far too high. In fact, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has advised that for Barbados and other small island states 2 degrees is a death sentence. So, we must, as you conclude, do more and stick to promises, so to keep the goal of restricting the growth of temperatures to 1.5 degrees alive. Thankfully, the Glasgow climate pact will speed up the pace of climate action, and all countries, of course, have agreed to revisit and strengthen their own current emission targets to 2030 next year.

During carbon budget 2 we need to achieve a 37 per cent average reduction, with a 0 per cent offset limit. Now, modelling shows that we are on track to achieve a 44 per cent reduction against the baseline, but we could go further and we could go faster. We agree on the need to increase renewable energy developments, and I do welcome your deep dive. You are planning to consider short, medium and long-term steps. So, can I ask that, in light of COP26, you will aim to outline as many short-term steps as possible, so to faster action on more renewables?

New nuclear has a crucial role to play in providing reliable, affordable low-carbon energy, as Britain works to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel. Last week, the UK Government backed small nuclear technology with £210 million. This will help us to move forward phase 2 of the low-cost nuclear project, and take it through the regulatory processes to assess the sustainability of potential deployment in the UK. Wales, however, can play a key role at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd. So, will you provide an update on Cwmni Egino and work that you are undertaking to see these small modular reactors in Wales?

Road transport accounts for over 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the total emissions are rising faster than any other sector. During COP, the Zero Emission Vehicles Transition Council outlined its action plan for 2022, which does include setting out a collective vision for global charging infrastructure. We've only one rapid charging point in Snowdonia National Park, not a single rapid charging point in Dwyfor Meirionnydd, yet the Welsh Government is only aiming to deliver 50 rapid charging points on the 1,000 miles of trunk road network of Wales by 2025. Transport accounted for 17 per cent of Welsh emissions in 2019, and is our largest—third largest, I beg your pardon—greenhouse gas emitting sector. So, will you be reviewing the action the Welsh Government plans to take on delivering charging points? 

COP26 also saw the global action agenda on transforming agricultural innovation. The UK backs this and the four initiatives, including the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases initiative, which brings countries together to find ways to grow more food without growing greenhouse gas emissions. Rather than the Welsh Government position for carbon budget 2, which states that your ambition is to, for example, see a substantial decrease in red meats and dairy products over the next 20 years, will you, Deputy Minister, acknowledge the findings by Bangor University that Welsh sheep and beef farms using non-intensive methods have among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of comparable systems globally, and look to see how you, in your position in the Welsh Government, can back Welsh meat and the green way in which it is produced globally, especially with the new contacts you have made recently whilst in Glasgow? Thank you.

Thank you for those questions. I certainly agree that Alok Sharma did a good job in taking COP through its paces in reaching an agreement—not one that we all would have wanted to see, but, nonetheless, an agreement that takes us forward, though it did fail the ambition of the Prime Minister to keep 1.5 degrees alive, which is no flippant thing to be set aside. Janet Finch-Saunders mentioned that we are facing warming of 1.8 degrees. Just so that we are clear, at 1.8 degrees most of the world's coral reef will be destroyed and the ecosystem that relies upon that will similarly be destroyed. That then begins to unleash knock-on effects, and the danger of creating tipping points, because we simply do not know—we have modelling, but we do not know at which points these thresholds become triggered, and it's far more likely we're going to see spikes and far more dangerous weather, storms, droughts, which will have catastrophic effects not just around the world, but in Wales. 

So, 1.8 degrees is not good enough, and the UK Met Office chief scientist said at the presentation I attended that based on current policies, we are heading towards a 4 degree warming by the end of the century. And just to be clear, that is the end of human existence as we know it. So, these are not stats that we can throw around lightly like we might in other policy debates. The consequences of this will be devastating if we do not manage to achieve more than we have at COP. 

She mentioned that we need to achieve a 37 per cent reduction by the end of carbon budget 2. That requires all of us in this Chamber not just to sign up to the targets, but to sign up to the consequences of those targets. So, we announced a roads review. As uncomfortable as that it, that is part of the suite of the measures that we need to implement, and Members in this Chamber, despite what they say today, need to show leadership and courage when it comes to supporting the follow-on consequences of these emergencies that we are willing to endorse. 

She asked specifically about Cwmni Egino. We are setting that up, and we're looking at the case for including renewables within that as well, because we are committed to setting up a public sector-owned and led renewables company, and we're considering the case for pooling that expertise. 

In terms of short-term actions she asked about, she mentioned the deep dive we've done on trees, what we're currently doing on renewables, the roads review itself and developing tougher building regulations. Those are just a small number of things we've done in the last six months since this department was established, and there's much more we need to do. The pace of change needs to be kept up. 

She asked about the existence of rapid charging points, and she is right. As the take-up of electric vehicles scales up significantly, so will the charging infrastructure we need to match that. We've set out a strategy just recently setting out what we're doing, which we think helps us keep pace. It's not just the job of the Welsh Government to put in place the charging infrastructure; it's a job for the private sector as well. As I keep mentioning, the Welsh Government doesn't provide petrol stations, nor should we be expected to provide the bulk of the charging infrastructure. We do need to look at an outside-in model so that those areas least likely to be served by the market are served well. And we have announced fresh funding again for the ultra-low emissions vehicle fund. 

Finally, on meat, clearly, the UK Climate Change Committee sets a pathway for reducing meat consumption, and it's not just meat produced in our country. Yes, Janet Finch-Saunders is right that Welsh meat has comparatively lower emissions than meats from other countries, but as I mentioned with the experience of the indigenous people of Peru and Brazil, the cheap meat that we buy in from South America is the meat that is driving the demand for soy that is leading to destruction of the rainforest, which is not then there to sequester the carbon that we need sequestered in order to keep global levels down. So, on meat, overall, the consumption does need to come down. And as I've said consistently, I think there is a case for eating less meat, but that the meat we do eat is Welsh meat, is local meat, is higher quality meat. In all of these things, all of the changes required are difficult and uncomfortable for us, but we cannot afford to duck this challenge.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank the Deputy Minister for his statement. What was agreed at COP fell far below the drastic action needed, and while I would add my voice to those praising Alok Sharma for his valiant attempts to forge a consensus, Boris Johnson should surely be condemned for making his job so difficult. At a time when the Prime Minister of the host state should have been devoting all his energy into persuading world leaders to agree to measures they didn't want but that the planet needs, Johnson spent the fortnight dealing with a domestic sleaze scandal of his own making. And if that wasn't enough, he went further by ratcheting up tensions with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol as the conference was happening, needlessly alienating our allies when we needed them most. If he had meant a single word he said in his speech to open COP26, he would have spent his entire time building bridges rather than burning them—'burning' being the apposite word, Minister.

A PM with a plan, or even just an attention span, would have heard alarm bells ringing when the US and China agreed a bipartisan deal during the conference to phase down the use of coal—a deal that, ultimately and arguably, gave India political cover to lead the effort to undermine the hard-won inclusion of the commitment to phase coal out completely at the very last minute. Alok Sharma's tears when this became apparent symbolise the dashed hopes of countless billions. Ending the burning of coal is essential for keeping warming under 1.5 degrees. For a brief moment, it looked as if life on earth had secured a long-term future. That future is still there to be won, and even though we've suffered another setback, the fight will continue. One important concession, Minister, that was agreed, was that countries will return with amendments next year and in 2023. Since the UK's presidency still has a year to run, I'd be grateful if you'd give some details about how the Welsh Government will use its membership of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance to push this agenda over the next 12 months. That is a membership that we in Plaid Cymru welcome.

Turning to areas where the Welsh Government has direct control, you've spoken already about renewable energy development and the deep dive that you are doing, Minister. If you could please provide an update on that, I'd be grateful. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is of course the only way to prevent runaway climate change and to keep earth habitable. You've been saying, Minister, about how to actually follow plans through as they might ratchet up would actually mean the end of humanity. You've already been saying, in your response to Janet Finch-Saunders, about some of the difficult decisions that we need to make. As a small, agile nation, it is of course crucial that Wales plays its part, since so many of the emissions of nations on the other side of the planet produce those emissions actually because of our habits in terms of consumption. You've been talking about meat and soy, Minister. Could I ask you to outline your plan to reduce consumption emissions and reduce Wales's global carbon footprint?

Finally, I'd like to turn to the matter of mitigation. You've acknowledged publicly that the consequences of not acting on global warming after COP26 will be profound for Wales. Experts in Wales have warned that extreme weather events will threaten lives and will make people poorer. We face increased flooding, coastal erosion, and potentially more destabilised coal tips. I noted that the Chair of Natural Resources Wales said in a recent article that, regrettably, it has often taken major events to force us to reflect on how prepared we really are for more extreme weather. He was talking in relation to flood defences. Since we now know that we aren't on track to keep warming under 1.5 degrees, I think there's a case for the Welsh Government to revisit strategies such as the flooding and coastal erosion plan, as well as our approach to coal tips, which is a matter I've raised with you a number of times, to ensure that they're strong enough to meet the scale of the challenge. We need to be innovative and to build on best practice to mitigate the climate crisis. So, could you commit, please, to bringing forward completed, robust and costed climate change mitigation schemes in the near future? Thank you very much.

Thank you for that series of questions. In terms of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, it has literally been less than a week since it was created, and I think it's important that we send the signal that we are part of that as a country that was there at the beginning of the industrial revolution, and signal that we think that fossil fuels do not play a part in our future. It began with 10 members of different degrees of membership—California, for example, is an associate member and we are a core member. And just as I mentioned in my statement the other alliances that we've been part of building over the years, which have now grown, we hope the same will happen with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. We've had some informal conversations with the Scottish Government already to help them understand what the membership process involves. We hope, by the example we have shown, that this will grow to be a significant alliance.

I thought, in a week, certainly in the second week of talk, where there was not a great deal of tangible progress for much of it, this alliance was a signal of hope of what Governments can do regardless of COP. Because I think we need to make a distinction between the COP process, which is international negotiation, which, by definition, moves at the pace of the slowest, and our net-zero commitment, which exists regardless of the COP process. We have committed, in law, as has the UK Government, to achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest; we don't need COP to happen to deliver on that, we all need to focus on what we need to do and not be slowed down by others who are finding it more difficult to match our commitments.

The deep dive on renewables is at the mid point. I'll be delivering a statement to the Senedd on 7 December setting out the initial conclusions. As with the tree deep dive, I've brought together a range of different perspectives and we've published the terms of reference and the membership. We're also supplementing that by holding a series of round-tables. We had a very good round-table with industry representatives and we have another round-table imminent with non-governmental organisations. With the group itself, we are systematically identifying what barriers there are to significant scale-up of renewables, and also, crucially, how we can capture value in Wales. What I don't want to do is to repeat the previous industrial revolutions where our economic wealth has been exported and extracted by interests outside of Wales; I want this time to make sure that our wealth is captured locally. And that is challenging, but that absolutely has to be at the heart of our approach, so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past.

On coal tips, she rightly illustrates that these are now very vulnerable, given that we know the climate change that is locked in. We are bitterly disappointed that the UK Government, despite initially showing joint leadership on this agenda, seems to have entirely abdicated its role, has not funded the remediation of coal tips in the budget settlement, and is simply leaving us to get on with this, even though these coal tips are a legacy of our industrial past and existed pre devolution. We think it is only right that the UK Government accepts joint ownership of this problem and works with us. It has failed to do that, so we are now left with a real problem, both practically and financially, of dealing with this legacy that they seem to have walked away from, preferring instead to sprinkle little pots of money to get themselves positive coverage in politically friendly parts of the country, rather than facing up to their role as part of the union.

In terms of mitigation and adaptation, she is absolutely right, we do need to be constantly reviewing our plans to deal with the climate change we know that is locked in, and that is work that is ongoing.

I welcome the statement and the opportunity to question the Minister. COP26 was a disappointment; I think everybody is of that view. When you saw the number of planes landing, it was easy to see that it was not going to be a success. Too many countries put short-term economic benefit before both the environment and their long-term economic benefit. I always thought that if people saw the results of climate change, they would demand action. Too many consider major weather events as just bad luck, rather than the inevitable consequence of climate change. We cannot change COP26. What we can do is, in Wales, act as an example to the rest of the world. Will the Minister commit to working towards making Wales an example to the world on what can be done to reduce carbon emissions? Will the Government support, post COVID, the Senedd continuing to meet in a hybrid manner, thus reducing our own carbon footprint? Will the Government produce a strategy not only for the change in the mode of transport used but an annual reduction in the miles travelled? 

Thank you to Mike Hedges for those comments. I do think Wales is already an example to the world in many of the actions that we are currently taking. Certainly, one thing that's struck me, and Members will know that I'm not somebody who's uncritical of our own Government's performance—what was very striking was the way that Wales was being held up throughout COP by other countries of a similar size and regions of larger countries as an example of a country that was taking action and provided inspiration to others, whether that be on recycling levels or indeed on our roads review, which has gained significant international interest. So, I think we already are taking action that is providing an example to others, and we need to continue to do that.

On his point about hybrid working, the Welsh Government does have a target of 30 per cent remote working for precisely that reason. We want to make sure that the benefits that were gained during the COVID lockdown of reduced emissions from people working from home are not lost as we move back to near normal. So, it's important that all businesses and the public sector look to see how hybrid working can become normal, and I would hope and expect the Senedd to be part of that. 

On his final point, I only half scribbled the note and I've now forgotten what it was—apologies. Feel free to—

Annual reduction in miles travelled.

Thank you very much. Absolutely, our net-zero plan for Wales includes an annual reduction in miles driven of 10 per cent over the five-year period, which is going to be a very challenging target to meet. We put that in there knowing it is a stretch target. We haven't got a fully worked up plan, frankly, of how we're going to achieve it. We know how we're going to achieve about 60 per cent of it. The Scottish Government have given themselves a target of a 20 per cent reduction in miles driven, which I am in awe of their boldness. I didn't think it was terribly prudent to commit to something that far beyond what we knew we could achieve. Going to a 10 per cent reduction is flying in the face of 70 years of transport policy and is going to be a challenge. We have set out in the Wales transport strategy the actions that we will take to move in that direction. They will be difficult, but we need to face up to them, because that absolutely is a key part of meeting our commitment to net zero. Because if we don't achieve in the next five years, we will not be on the trajectory to achieve them by 2050.

Thank you very much for your statement, this afternoon, Deputy Minister. It was really good to see you up in Glasgow last week for COP26, and I believe you met my counterpart in Westminster, Dr James Davies, so that was really nice to see.

Possibly not.

We had a nice chat. 

Don't be so negative. [Laughter.]

While I don't share the opinion expressed by some that COP26 was a cop out, I do fear that the watering down of the pledges will see my constituents indeed facing a watery future. As some of the world's worst polluters continue their reliance on coal, we will experience rising temperatures and rising sea levels. Deputy Minister, you've made it clear that you see a coal-free future for Wales. I don't mean to sound crass or insensitive about some of the questions I'm about to ask, as they play a major part in the Welsh economy.

So, what discussions have you had with one of the biggest users of coals and one of the biggest polluters in Tata Steel? Do you want to abandon virgin steel production in Wales, closing down the blast furnaces in favour of electric arc furnaces, recycling scrap steel, and have you convinced the unions of the need to abandon coal? And finally, Deputy Minister, what role do you see carbon capture and storage playing in Wales's greener future and will your Government be investing in technology? Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, and indeed I was pleased to meet with the MP James Davies amongst many others at COP. There was a good Welsh presence at the conference.

He makes mention to some of the world's worst polluters, well of course we are amongst the world's worst polluters. Let us be clear, those of us in the G20 are the countries that have contributed to this problem, and those currently facing the most immediate short-term impacts from climate change, more severely than ours, are those who've contributed the least to climate change. So, there is a moral obligation as well as a self-interested obligation on us to act. But let us be under no illusion about our culpability in the problem as well. It's not simply China or Brazil or India, we as the UK are part of the problem and we need to transition from that, and as we do it, it must be a just transition. Steel production is a really interesting example. Clearly, we will still need steel, even beyond 2050. To produce wind turbines or electric cars, you need steel. We need to find a way of producing steel that has the minimal negative environmental impact.

There is work going on in south Wales, through the south Wales industrial cluster—industry-led, working with the Welsh Government and the UK Government together—to try and find technological solutions to the problems, and to try and reduce the carbon footprint of these heavily polluting but important industries. That is a dilemma for us, and it's not an easy transition, but it is one that we absolutely have to confront.

In terms of carbon capture and storage, I am sceptical of the impact that that can play because, at the moment, it is an unproven technology. There are some trials to show that it can work. It has not been demonstrated to work at scale. The thing that I worry about in the UK Government's net-zero plan is that it relies heavily on the assumption that these technologies will work at scale within 10 years. That has yet to be proven, and I don't think that we should be betting the farm on the fact that technological fixes are going to deliver the carbon reductions that we need to see.

I'd like to applaud the Welsh Government's leadership on this issue. Your presence in COP was very significant, as was that of the First Minister and Julie James. I think that we have to be proud of the role that we can play.

For me, one of the most important things was the role of regional and state governments. Particularly where national governments are reluctant to take action, there is so much that we can do at a regional or state level; hearing from people like Sergio Graf Montero, the Minister for the environment for the second largest area of Mexico—a very, very significant industrial area—as well as the Minister for the Maharashtra, which is not just the second largest state in India and its most industrialised, but represents 125 million people. That's twice the size of the UK. So, we really do need to be talking to these really big players, who can really make a massive contribution.

But, we need to be, as you say, showing the way and showing that we are taking seriously the damage that we have done by exploiting the world's resources without any regard to the consequences. I suppose that I want to come back to the question that I asked the First Minister, which is: what can we do stop subsidising fuel—the oil and gas? As you are part of this 'end oil and gas' coalition, how can we justify continuing to subsidise the very activity that we know has the most damaging effects on the developing nations, as well as our own country? So, I wondered if you could just respond to that.  

Well, I think that it's a fair challenge. I don't have the figure to hand, but I recall reading that the subsidy that the UK Government has given to fossil fuels through freezing the fuel duty escalator since 2010 is in excess of £30 billion. It may even be higher than that—a very significant direct subsidy to fossil fuels.

One of the challenges that we will have is, as we move away from the internal combustion engine car—. To give credit to the UK Government, they have shown bold international leadership on phasing out petrol and diesel cars by 2030. We signed up to an alliance at COP for making sure that other countries, the major countries, did the same by 2035. But, even by that target, the UK is going to be five years ahead of it, and I think, credit where credit is due: that is something that the UK Government has done that we warmly endorse.

There will be consequences to that in terms of the way that fossil fuels are taxed. Clearly, we currently have petrol tax. When your car doesn't rely on petrol, you won't be able to have the revenues from petrol tax. So, there will need to be a different form of taxation flowing from that. But, of course, unless the electricity generated to fuel those electric cars is sustainably sourced, then you are simply shifting the problem from one place to another.

So, certainly it is our ambition to make sure that we are relying on green fuels and green hydrogen and wind generation for electricity, which will move us away from fossil fuels. So, providing the example of changing our energy mix is one way we can move away from the subsidies for fossil fuels. But I guess the truth of it is that we've created an economic system that is intrinsically linked with the supply of cheap energy, and cheap oil in particular, that is interwoven into so many of the activities we do and the decisions that we've made. So, untangling ourselves from that is no easy or simple feat, and I don't want to pretend otherwise, but that is something that we all have to work together to do. And I must say, the UK Government are not encouraging in that sense, because they are sending mixed signals. They're talking big at COP, but in the budget, or two weeks before that, did not mention climate change once, introduced subsidies for domestic aviation, and continued the direct fossil fuel subsidy for fuel duty. So, they need to confront their cognitive dissonance, as do we all.

And finally, Carolyn Thomas.

Diolch. During the first week of COP26, I was invited to a conference with presentations by schools across north Wales, and the students had a real understanding that we all have a part to play in tackling climate change. Their suggestions that they came up with included cutting food miles, meat-free Mondays, using renewable energy, reuse and saving water by turning off the tap while brushing their teeth. They were also concerned about climate justice and promoting the use of sustainable palm oil, working with Chester Zoo, and asked for clear labelling on packaging. They recognise that the choices we make here in Wales impact people living in nations across the world. Would the Minister agree with the young people that we all have a part to play and that, together, through individual actions, with the help of Government policy, we can make a big difference?

Yes, and thank you for the question. And I was very pleased, when I was in COP, to take part in panel discussions with the Climate Cymru youth ambassadors, along with the Scottish youth ambassadors and the Minister from the Scottish Government. And what was palpable about it was the outrage of young people of the legacy that their generation is going to be left, and when you look at the statistics and the data that's coming out, the impact of this is profound, but it's also upon us before we know it. You know, within 80 years—and I hope my children will still be alive—unless we dramatically change policies around the world, we face four degrees of global warming, which will wipe out some 70 per cent of the ecosystems required to sustain human life. Now, that is profound and disturbing and justifies outrage, frankly. So, I was pleased by the suggestions you quoted from the young people in your area, and I think we can learn a lot from that. Recycling more, turning off the water tap, labelling palm oil and eating less meat are all simple actions that we can all do that, collectively, will make a difference.

What the Climate Change Committee evidence suggests is that 60 per cent of the actions required to meet net zero are actions individuals can take; 40 per cent of actions that Governments need to take, and those two things need to happen in parallel. We do need people power, but we also need systemic change. And, as I've said all along, to do this, we need to make the right thing to do for the climate the easiest thing to do. And that's something Government's responsible for, and that's something we as a Welsh Government—and again, we have responsibility for something like 40 per cent of the emissions cuts that need to happen; the UK Government has responsibility for 60 per cent. We need to work with them to make sure that systemic change makes it easy for citizens to make the choices we all rely on them to make to stop catastrophic climate change becoming a reality.

I thank the Deputy Minister. We will now suspend proceedings temporarily to allow changeovers in the Siambr. Please remember, if you are leaving the Siambr, do so promptly. The bell will be rung two minutes before proceedings restart, and any Members who are arriving after the changeover should wait until then before entering the Siambr.

Plenary was suspended at 16:14.

The Senedd reconvened at 16:23, with the Deputy Presiding Officer in the Chair.