4. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: COP26

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:06 pm on 16 November 2021.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 4:06, 16 November 2021

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.