Wales will have to meet a less demanding greenhouse gas reduction target than the UK as a whole, according to the first carbon budget.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has made a series of recommendations on meeting emissions targets.
In a report published today (19 December) is has recommended Wales’ first carbon budget, covering the period 2016 to 2020, should limit emissions to 27 per cent below 1990 levels. This compares to a UK-wide figure of 37 per cent.
The average carbon reduction during the first carbon budget period should be 23 per cent, the CCC said.
The committee has also set an interim target of 45 per cent for 2030, which compares to 57 per cent for the UK as a whole.
Interim targets have been put in place to enable Wales to fulfil its commitment to reduce emissions by 80 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2050.
The target, which is in line with the UK as a whole, is enshrined in the Welsh government’s Environment Act 2016.
However, according to the report, Welsh emissions only fell by 19 per cent between 1990 and 2015, half the 37 per cent reduction achieved across the UK as a whole over the same period.
The committee said this slower pace of decarbonisation stems from the Welsh economy’s greater reliance on highly carbon intensive industries, such as steel production.
The large coal plant at Aberthaw, alone accounted for 14 per cent of total Welsh greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report. The plant is due to be phased out by 2025,
“Achieving an 80 per cent reduction by 2050 in Wales will be more challenging than the equivalent reduction for the UK,” the report stated.
It said there is “little scope” for new policies to enable Wales to meet the 2020 target.
To spare heavy industry from emissions cuts until the 2030s and 2040s, the committee recommends Wales should accelerate the decarbonisation of other areas, such as electricity generation.
Energy efficiency and the installation of low-carbon heating systems should be a “high priority” for the Welsh government, the report recommended.
It has also urged Whitehall to give the Welsh government more scope to foster onshore wind and solar development using its planning powers.
The committee also recommended the Welsh government should target actions to reduce emissions from transport and agriculture.
Lord Deben, chairman of CCC, said: “Wales has set itself an ambitious but achievable emissions reduction target for 2050 as part of the global effort to tackle climate change. The carbon targets we are recommending today present a pathway for Wales to decarbonise its economy while protecting Welsh industry, jobs and future generations.”