Wales Net Zero - Enabling the Transition by 2035

Pathways to a prosperous and resilient Wales in a changing future: Jyoti Banerjee reports on the work of the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group. 

Can a nation be Net Zero?

Can Wales be Net Zero? Can it be Net Zero by 2035?

This was the challenge laid on the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group, and today marks the launch of our reports identifying the pathways by which Wales can be net zero, and can do so with urgency.

We are pleased to announce publication of our reports on 16th September 2024, which will be made available on this website.

The Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group, chaired by Jane Davidson, has published seven reports:

• Enabling the transition to net zero in Wales by 2035.

• What could education, jobs and work, look like across Wales by 2035?   

• How could Wales feed itself by 2035?  

• How could Wales meet energy needs by 2035 whilst phasing out fossil fuels?   

• How could Wales heat and build homes and workplaces by 2035?  

• How could people and places be connected across Wales by 2035?  

All of the reports are available at the group’s website: https://netzero2035.wales/

North Star Transition played a key role in the work of the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group. Jyoti Banerjee, North Star Transition’s CEO, was a member of the group, and co-chaired (alongside Karen Morrow, professor of environmental law, Swansea University) the work on the factors that can enable a nation to transition to net zero. In addition, Jo Jones, Dan Ward and Luke Penny were all part of the secretariat supporting the work of the Challenge Group.

Olivier Boutellis, co-founder and chairman of North Star Transition, welcomed the reports from the Challenge Group: “This report is yet another sign that Wales’s level of ambition is remarkable and should inspire other countries in Europe. North Star Transition is proud to have contributed thanks to our CEO’s thought-leadership.  Our vision that no one can transition alone, and that only a systemic and collaborative approach will help us “imagineer” a novel economic and social model, is making headways – and it must.”

As the co-chair of the Enabling Factors report, I am particularly excited about the proposition that If all the actions in the report are implemented, Wales could transform in the second half of the 21st century – a revitalised nation prioritising the wellbeing and prosperity of its citizens while protecting the environment: a re-imagined Wales.

Climate change is problematic in its own right and a symptom of how we have organised our society and economy. Therefore, the push to net zero involves real challenges but also offers massive opportunities.

If Wales rises to the challenge, it will not only achieve net zero but also benefit from the tangible co-benefits. Adopting the enablers identified in this chapter will foster positive impacts for Wales: its people, our society and economy, and the natural world on which we rely. However, pursuing this transition goal requires a swift and unprecedented shift in how the government operates, from a 20th century approach, based on silos within government and between government and other actors, to a joined-up, whole society approach, fit for the 21st century and beyond.

Most countries are ill-equipped for this task. However, Wales already has innovative and forward-looking legislation in the form of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 to help meet these challenges. However, we are not currently using these tools to their full effect – we must do much more to prepare Wales for a sustainable low carbon future.

Want to find out more?

Wales Net Zero 2035 Summary report: https://netzero2035.wales/our-reports/1-summary-report/

Wales Net Zero 2035 Enabling the Transition report: https://netzero2035.wales/our-reports/enabling-the-transition-to-net-zero-by-2035/