Energy Saving Trust welcomes Welsh Government’s commitment to net zero

Today (Tuesday 9 February 2021), the Welsh Government committed to net zero emissions by 2050, while setting ambitions to reach the target sooner.

The commitment follows a recommendation report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) released in December 2020, which revealed that net zero emissions in the nation were possible with ambitious policy and a ‘Team Wales’ approach.

Energy Saving Trust welcomes today’s announcement from Welsh Government on their plans to tighten climate targets in Wales following the latest guidance from the Climate Change Committee.

2016 saw legislation setting out an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, however, a greater understanding of what we can do to limit carbon emissions, reductions in implementation costs, and improvements in technology have resulted in impressive early progress.

The Climate Change Committee have now been able to recommend a target of net zero by 2050 in their December Progress Report to Welsh Government. Although this remains a challenging target and will require sustained ambition from every sector, it is heartening to see Welsh Government set an ambition of a net zero target that is even earlier than 2050 if possible.

We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively to meet the challenge and play our part in helping Wales and the UK to reach net zero.