The Welsh assembly has approved legislation that will bring in measures to tackle climate change, including a target to reduce carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050.
Natural resources minister Carl Sargeant said the statutory climate change targets included in the Environment (Wales) Bill would accelerate progress against the government’s headline targets, and help build resilience to climate impacts such as extreme temperatures and flooding.
‘The passing of the bill will ensure that the sustainable management of our natural resources will be a core consideration in all future decision-making,’ he said. ‘The bill complements the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Planning (Wales) Act 2015. Together, they put in place the framework needed to secure the long-term wellbeing of Wales.’
Emyr Roberts, chief executive at Natural Resources Wales (NRW), said the legislation, which is expected to come into force next year, would put Wales in a better position to manage its natural resources in such a way to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable land management.
The bill also includes provisions to improve waste management in Wales with powers to take action to achieve more recycling of business waste, food waste treatment and energy recovery.
Under the law, businesses, schools and hospitals will have to separate recyclable waste for collection or face prosecution. It gives Welsh ministers the power to ban some materials from being incinerated to generate energy and to extend the levy on supermarket carrier bags to ‘bags-for-life’.
The legislation requires NRW to report every five years on how well Wales is looking after its nature, land, water and air. The regulator will also have to produce area reports on conditions in local environments.
