A new report from Wales’s public spending watchdog says public authorities recognize the importance of decarbonisation but are making insufficient progress, with financial and political pressures pushing the issue down the priority list. The report also highlights uncertainty over the Welsh Government’s collective ambition for net zero by 2030 and limited understanding of the costs involved.
“Decarbonization is moving down the priority list from 2022 onwards due to financial and political pressures,” the report says.
Public authorities told the watchdog that wider financial pressures were making it difficult to invest in decarbonisation. The report also criticized the Welsh Government for failing to define the “collective ambition” of net zero by 2030 as a formal goal.
“There are also no penalties or incentives to drive compliance,” it says. “Some public bodies told us this is increasing uncertainty around carbon reduction priorities.”
Unclear costs and limited progress
The report says public authorities have made “limited progress” in understanding the overall short- and long-term costs of decarbonisation.
“When public authorities estimated long-term costs, some said they were unaffordable,” it says.
Anne-Marie Harkin, from Audit Wales, said: “We can list positive examples, but overall we are not making enough progress. We owe it to future generations to do better.”
Net-zero ambition for the public sector
In 2017, the then Welsh Labour government called for the public sector to reach net zero by 2030. It argued that public bodies were in a “unique position” to influence emissions in areas such as buildings and transport.
The intention was that government-backed organisations switching to low-carbon technologies and investing in infrastructure such as electric cars, charging points, renewable power and heating systems would make it easier and cheaper for the public to follow suit.
The “collective ambition” does not require every public body to achieve net zero individually by 2030. Instead, it is intended to provide a common direction and an expectation that all public bodies will contribute to reducing emissions.
Welsh Government response
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Net zero in the public sector is a priority for the Welsh Government.
“We want to continue to support the decarbonization of the public sector to reduce emissions and energy bills and strengthen energy security.
“While the 2030 ambition has driven action and leadership, it is clear that there is more work to be done towards decarbonisation across and beyond the public sector in Wales.”
The current Plaid Cymru Government’s ambition is for Wales as a whole to reach net zero by 2040. This is 10 years earlier than the current legally binding targets for Wales and England.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk