The Welsh Government will be required to set legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 under a new law to improve Wales’ management of its resources.

Interim emission targets and carbon budgets, to be set between 2016 and 2050, also feature in proposed legislation being introduced this week as part of the Environment (Wales) Bill .

The Bill also includes provisions to improve waste management in Wales and the carrier bag charging scheme. It is also intended to ensure that Wales’ wealth of natural resources are more sustainably managed – a first for the UK.

To manage Wales’ natural resources sustainably, the Environment Bill includes three key features which build on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the wider reforms the Welsh Government is proposing through the Planning (Wales) Bill. These are:

• A State of Natural Resources Report – the Bill will require Natural Resources Wales to publish a State of Natural Resources Report, highlighting the condition and extent of Wales’s natural resources, their ability to respond to pressures and their capacity to adapt to climate change.
• A National Natural Resources Policy – the Welsh Government will need to produce a national policy that sets out the priorities and opportunities for managing Wales’s natural resources sustainably. The statement will take into account the findings of NRW’s State of Natural Resources Report.
• Area statements – NRW will need to set out the evidence covering the opportunities, challenges and national priorities for the management of natural resources at a local level.

The Bill also clarifies the law for a number of existing environmental regulatory regimes including marine licensing, shellfisheries management, land drainage and flood risk management. 

Carl Sargeant, the Welsh Assembly Minister for Natural Resources commented: 

“This Bill will ensure the decisions we take in relation to our natural resources support our economy, our communities and our environment. It will help us manage our natural resources in a way that will deliver lasting benefits for current and future generations.

“Including statutory climate change targets, underpinned by Carbon Budgeting in the Bill will allow us to better drive progress, provide certainty for investment and drive forward the low-carbon economy in Wales. This step, together with the requirements for sustainable management of our resources will help to ensure Wales has a prosperous economy alongside a healthy and resilient environment.”