“The accelerating pace of climate change, deforestation, pollution and other human activities have pushed nature to the brink, threatening the delicate balance that sustains life on Earth.
How do you think Carmarthenshire County Council can best respond to the Nature Emergency which it and the Welsh Government have declared?”
Minutes:
“The accelerating pace of climate change, deforestation, pollution and other human activities have pushed nature to the brink, threatening the delicate balance that sustains life on Earth.
How do you think Carmarthenshire County Council can best respond to the Nature Emergency which it and the Welsh Government have declared?”
Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen – Cabinet Member For Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability:-
Thank you Chair and thank you Councillor James for the timely question.
I’m sure we've all heard last week was the warmest week on the planet which reminds us that humanity needs to increase the level of action on the climate and nature emergencies and to do so with emergency. If we don't ensure that we keep temperature levels under control then it will have a catastrophic impact on our health systems, food systems, the economy, our communities and also upon nature.
That's why I'm delighted that we as a council called for a recognition of the world nature emergency at the end of the last term of election and it is a great honour to now be the portfolio holder for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability and to have a small part in the important role in how the Council responds to these challenges. But indeed, the challenges cannot be met with just one portfolio holder, the nature challenges the responsibility of us all, as local members, as cabinet members and as a public body.
We have to place climate and nature at the centre of policy making and day to day actions. We are now seeing this recognised in the Corporate Plan and also in the Transformation Strategy. We have already created a cross-party advisory panel on the climate and nature emergency and we have a group of passionate members who are there to advise, challenge and inspire so that we can make the right decisions now and also in the future.
This group has met several times in the past year and have had the opportunity to help shape the way we achieve not only what we are legally required to under the Environment Wales Act but also what is the real level of ambition that we should be aiming for.
Members have been able to suggest deeper, faster and braver steps for us to aim for in the next Action Plan and I look forward to bringing it to the scrutiny committee where I know it will be given the appropriate challenge to ensure it meets the goals and ambitions we all here share
But whatever real action the public will see, and during the past winter Carmarthenshire County Council through Welsh Government funding has been able to provide 5 tree planting sites including 3 new woodlands in Tregyb, Kidwelly and Llandybie. The right tree in the right place for the right reason is vital and allows us to have wider benefits for nature, restoration, habitat enhancement, climate mitigation but also vital health and wellbeing benefits for local communities. Locating these on suitable land in and around our communities allows for so much more than just the environmental benefits.
We are also close to designating 3 new Local Nature Reserves. Working with local communities, we have been able to obtain further funding from Welsh Government to help restore and protect high value area of habitat and biodiversity located near towns. This brings in so many additional heritage and leisure and education benefits along the way. These are in addition to the important conservation work being carried out at Llyn Llech Owain, Mynydd Mawr Woodland Park, and Nanty Ci Hill, Pembrey Burrows Local Nature Reserve, and Pembrey Country Park.
Last year more than 30 sites were designated across the county that would be managed for pollinator insects. Pollinators play a vital role in the ecological health balance of our planet. Protecting pollinators is essential for ensuring food security, maintaining biodiversity, promoting sustainable ecosystems and much more.
This year we are increasing the amount of land we manage differently to further understand the different techniques and what management system is required. Our biodiversity and ground maintenance teams are currently drawing up plans so that amenity grass cutting can be offered differently so that land can be used for wider benefits going forward. I will discuss these with my cabinet colleagues in housing, regeneration and education who will be able to introduce changes in their departments in phases.
Tree planting evokes a lot of debate and uncontrolled/unregulated tree planting to greenwashing carbon-intensive practices by at the expense of Welsh communities is something no one needs, and we do not support this. However, the importance of trees cannot be overstated. Their benefits for biodiversity and climate are just a couple of the significant roles trees play in ensuring our existence on this planet.
We have already created the first draft of a Tree Strategy for Carmarthenshire County Council which has been discussed in the Place and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee. We discussed the need to be sensitive to local rural communities while also looking for opportunities to make our grey urban areas greener. We will now take the feedback, learn further from other organisations and ensure we co-design policy that supports and brings communities with us while also ensuring that we recognise and understand the science, do not ignore the hard evidence that is so obvious and develop bold strong targets that match the urgency set out in this council's nature emergency declaration.
Supplementary Question by Councillor John James:
Later this month we will be celebrating Wales nature week which will start on the 22nd July. This offers us all an opportunity to focus on what we can do to protect and enhance nature in Carmarthenshire. Services that are delivered to us by nature is immeasurable – clean air, water and pollinator of food and so much more. Councillor Owen, how do you see Carmarthenshire’s landscape and unique ecosystems , from the way we manage upland areas to the potential seagrass on low coast playing a part in mitigating and adapting to climate change?
Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen – Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability:-
If we are truly going to both mitigate the worst effects of Climate Change and Adapt our communities to the amount of climate change that is already in the post, then working with the grain of nature offers us the best chance of success.
Carmarthenshire’s varied landscapes and ecosystems offer an amazing opportunity for us to reach our shared decarbonisation aspirations - Our upland peatbogs they are an incredibly efficient carbon store, retaining more carbon in the soil than the equivalent capacity of a forest of trees. The 4% of Wales covered by peat stores up to 30% of Wales’s soil carbon. However, decades of mismanagement and I guess shortsighted policies mean damaged peatlands are releasing carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to speeding up climate change.
Given that 70% of the UK’s drinking water comes from upland areas dominated by peatlands, the need for their restoration is clear especially following 2 months where Wales has received only 44% of its expected rainfall. What’s more, wet peat bogs contain up to 90% water meaning that they act as a natural barrier to spreading wildfires and they also reduce the risk of floods further downstream.
Managing land differently will be essential to reduce pollutants entering rivers, emitting further climate heating gases and reducing and adapting to flooding and other extreme weather scenarios. This will need to be done sensitively and appropriately working with all the stakeholders. But unfortunately, our thinking and actions do not change to keep up with the pace of changing climate, more areas and more people will become vulnerable to extreme weather and catastrophes. Change happens at the end of our comfort zone.
Nature based solutions offer opportunities within our towns. Decarbonisation and health are both reasons why we should shift the way that we travel. Green infrastructure offer huge potential in reducing harmful gases and improving local air quality. It provides habitat for pollinators, opportunity for sustainable urban drainage to slow down surface water flooding and greening up built environments can reduce heating and offers shade in extreme weather.
In 100 years, around 390,000 properties will be at risk of flooding. There will be a 47% increase in those liable to tidal flooding. This is where business as usual takes us. This is where protecting out of date agendas and habits gets us. This is where “This is how we’ve always done it” gets us. Embracing nature based solutions while changing our polluting practices will give us the opportunities to give the next generation a fighting chance.
One of the exciting developments as you mentioned is that of Sea grass. Sea grass is such an important ecosystem that we rarely appreciate. It is one of the best carbon sinks on the planet, it helps clean up pollutants in the water, it offers amazing habitats for species, and it also helps reduce coastal erosion which could result in reduce tidal flooding. Carmarthenshire should be proud that we have a sea grass nursery in Pendine, with academia supporting the research that hopefully can be rolled out at scale.
Many thanks for both your insightful questions Councillor James. I look forward to working with now and in your new Shadow Cabinet role, continue to be inspired by the Advisory Panel and challenged and supported by the members of the scrutiny.
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that somebody else will save it. On these issues let’s continue to rise above any petty political point scoring, because it is in our collective action that will generate the power to heal and protect our planet and in so doing ensuring the survival of humanity .