In this interview, Dawn Lyle discusses with Jane Davidson, Chair of the Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group for Wales, the ambitious project to accelerate Wales’ Net Zero target from 2050 to 2035. Jane explains that the project, titled ‘Wales Net Zero Challenge, 2035’, was initiated from an agreement between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru in 2021.

The group aims to provide independent advice on potential pathways to achieving net zero emissions by 2035 (bringing the date forward from 2050), considering the societal and economic impacts and how adverse effects can be mitigated. The project also looks at how costs and benefits can be shared fairly across Wales.

The group is seeking evidence and insights on several key areas: how Wales can feed itself by 2035; meeting energy needs while phasing out fossil fuels; heating and building homes and workplaces by 2035; connecting people and places across Wales by 2035; and what education, jobs and work could look like across Wales by 2035. They are also focusing on the future of education and work in relation to a move away from a fossil fuel economy.

Jane emphasises that the work of the group is underpinned by the latest academic evidence provided by the Wales Centre for Public Policy. She invites all interested parties to contribute their views and evidence towards the project by Christmas, with the aim of having a draft proposal ready for public consultation in the Spring of next year.

The interview concludes on a hopeful note, with Jane highlighting the potential for Wales to lead the way not only in the UK but globally in terms of finding pragmatic and equitable solutions to achieve net zero.

This conversation was recorded in September 2023, in the run up to the South West Wales Green Economy Conference (Nov 2023).