Welsh Assembly Government's independent advisory body on sustainable development
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Break Down Barriers For A Low Carbon Wales
12 November 2009
- Government advisor says low-carbon living must become 'citizen easy'
- Travel to work, heating homes and generating clean power among priorities
- Vision is achievable but businesses, public sector and third sector must work together at a regional level
- Commission's report welcomed by ministers
Electric cars, local food and super-insulated homes are all part of the Sustainable Development Commission’s vision for a low-carbon Wales, to be launched in Tredegar today. The SDC's report Low Carbon Wales: Regional Priorities For Action, produced for the Welsh Assembly Government, gives advice on how each region of Wales can make dramatic cuts to carbon emissions, tailored to the unique nature of that area.
Examples of the carbon-cutting priorities for each region include:
- Central Wales – Protecting carbon stored in the soil, engaging with communities to maximise the benefits of renewable energy.
- North East Wales – Working with the industrial base in the region to increase resource efficiency
- North West Wales – Promoting local food, generating low carbon electricity, protecting soil carbon.
- Pembrokeshire – Building on the area’s status as an energy centre, working with industry to develop low- carbon solutions. On transport - video conferencing and electric vehicle recharging hubs.
- South East Wales – A focus on travel – reducing the need e.g. through teleworking and promoting a shift towards lower-carbon choices e.g. car share, cycling and public transport.
- Swansea Bay and Western Valleys – Working towards a low carbon economy: supporting research and development of low-carbon technologies and exploring opportunities for the knowledge economy in a low-carbon future.
At the launch of Low Carbon Wales, Peter Davies, SDC Commissioner for Wales will say:
"This is a truly unique report. It's the first time that anyone has worked out how each region of Wales can make the necessary cuts in carbon emissions, in the ways best suited to that area. Each part of Wales is unique – it's not enough to give someone in Pembrokeshire the same advice as someone in Cardiff or Dolgellau. It shows that not only is a low carbon Wales essential, it's also desirable and achievable if we work together."
The Commissioner will also warn that to effectively tackle climate change, low-carbon lifestyles need to be made much easier for the general public:
"Most of us now recognise the threat of climate change but to make a low carbon Wales a reality we face two main challenges. Firstly, we need to make the right choices 'citizen-easy'. It should be easier to take public transport, easier to eat local food and easier to heat our homes cheaply with less fossil fuels. Living a low-carbon life should be a pleasure, not a battle. Secondly, we need to work together at a regional level. The regions of Wales reflect our every day lives – our journey to the shops, the rugby or to work often cross local boundaries. To tackle carbon emissions effectively, we need to break down barriers – by working across sectors and across local boundaries in each region of Wales."
The SDC also recommends actions across the whole of Wales:
- A programme of action for the refurbishment of all existing homes
- Significantly increasing energy generation capacity from community and large scale renewables
- Providing the infrastructure and information needed to enable smarter transport choices – to enable people to switch to walking, cycling and public transport
- Significantly increasing the use of low carbon transport fuels and electric vehicles
- Protecting all significant soil carbon stores
- Significantly increasing community and individual food growing.
The advice is designed to help the Welsh Assembly Government deliver on its existing work on cutting emissions and making Wales a sustainable country.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery Andrew Davies welcomed the report:
"The SDC has identified that there are a lot of good initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in Wales, however these are often in isolated pockets. We now need to significantly scale up the good practice in order to have a meaningful impact on carbon emission reduction. The Wales Spatial Plan process provides the ideal mechanism to do this. Through a collaborative approach we can identify the infrastructure and services needed to enable the citizens of Wales to make low carbon choices."
Environment, Sustainability & Housing Minister Jane Davidson said:
"Our final Climate Change Strategy for Wales, due to be published next year, will identify the measures needed to meet our 3% annual reduction in carbon emissions from 2011 onwards, enabling an 80% reduction before 2050. Many of these measures will be need to be delivered at a regional level and this report shows how the Wales Spatial Plan process could be used to help achieve this."
'Low Carbon Wales' is targeted at the public, private and third sectors. Organisations including businesses, charities, local councils and the NHS will use the plans as they work together in the 'Wales Spatial Plan area groups' in each region of Wales. These groups exist to ensure joined-up thinking and collaboration in regions based on how people live their lives.
