Labour's plans for a clean, green and sustainable Wales
CLIMATE CHANGE is a challenge Wales cannot ignore and a third term Labour Assembly will rise to it, said Labour First Minister Rhodri Morgan.
Labour wants to put Wales at the forefront of action to promote sustainability, increase energy efficiency and support the efforts of business, the public sector and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.
Labour's targets for a cleaner and greener Wales include:
- By 2012 all Government buildings will be carbon neutral
- All new buildings built from 2011 onwards will be zero carbon
- 30,000 solar power and other micro-generation units on buildings across Wales by 2012
- Sustainability will be put at the heart of the national curriculum, increase opportunities for outdoor learning and increase the number of eco-schools
- Work towards making 100,000 homes energy efficient
- Public sector developments will be required to use micro-generation energy
- Continued support for renewable energy especially marine and wind power
- Expand the work of the Welsh Energy Research Centre
- Ensure a safe and clean future for the coal industry - including buffer zones around opencast sites
- Greener transport - more investment in public transport
- Introduce tough new measures to cut the use of harmful farm pesticides
- Implement the most restrictive possible policy relating to GM crops
- Review agi-environment schemes to give better value to the tax payer
- All Wales coastal path, increasing public access to the countryside.
Rhodri Morgan said:
"Bringing about a cleaner and greener Wales is about making sure we protect our environment, and learn to enjoy it and use our energy in a sustainable way."
"We're going to build on our strong green credentials - investment in recycling means Wales is on course for meeting the target of recycling or composting 25% of waste by 2007 and 40% by 2015. The Assembly Government gets 90% of its energy from renewable sources and has given a total of £3.1 million to local NHS trusts to use their energy more efficiently and Assembly street lighting is 100 per cent green energy."
"Since half of all of Wales's carbon emissions come from buildings - our commitment to reduce carbon emissions from buildings are an important step in the right direction."
Environment Minister Carwyn Jones said:
"1,300 Welsh schools already take part in the eco-schools scheme, where schoolchildren learn about recycling and then take on the responsibility of making their school more environmentally friendly."
"Labour will increase the number of schools taking part in this scheme and will put sustainability at the heart of the national curriculum as well as increasing the opportunities for learning outdoors. This is because tackling environmental problems needs to go hand in hand with making sure all our communities can access the Great Welsh Outdoors and appreciate why we need to protect it. Labour has opened up the country side for more people to enjoy walking routes and we are now promising an all Wales coastal path."
"We'll bring in tough new measures to cut the use of harmful pesticides and implement tough policies on GM crops to protect the environment."
"And we're committed to a better public transport system - free bus passes for pensioners means more of use are using buses, but in a Labour third term we'll invest more rail carriages, give discounted rail travel to pensioners and turn the Traws Cambria coach service into an all Wales travel network."
Comments