Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group
In 2021, the Co-operation Agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Labour Government committed to “creating a greener Wales to tackle climate change and the nature emergency.”
To deliver this ambition, the two parties agreed to commission independent advice to examine potential pathways to achieving Net Zero by 2035, fifteen years earlier than the existing 2050 target. The work was intended to consider impacts across society and key sectors of the Welsh economy, and to explore how any adverse effects could be mitigated, including how costs and benefits might be shared fairly.
Both party leaders invited Jane Davidson to chair and recruit an independent Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group, which began its work in 2022.
To underpin the Challenge Group’s work, the Welsh Government commissioned the Wales Centre for Public Policy at Cardiff University to produce up-to-date academic research on realistic and deliverable pathways to Net Zero, providing an evidence base for politicians and policymakers in Wales.
The Challenge Group brought together experts from a wide range of professional backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to effective, deliverable government action in the interests of current and future generations. Members received no remuneration and gave their time voluntarily.
The final reports of the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group were published in September 2024 under the collective title Pathways to a Prosperous and Resilient Wales, language deliberately aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The published work comprises seven reports:
What Could Education, Jobs and Work Look Like Across Wales by 2035?
How Could Wales Meet Its Energy Needs by 2035 While 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?
Together, these reports set out practical ten-year pathways to achieving Net Zero fifteen years ahead of the current schedule.
The reports have been presented to both political parties, with the ambition that all parties will consider adopting the evidence-based, common-sense approach taken by the Challenge Group — one that prioritises action in the interests of current and future generations and supports a just, nature-positive transition.
Unusually, the reports are not framed as a set of recommendations. Instead, they provide a detailed roadmap for delivery, setting out the policies and legislation required, the timescales over which action must be taken, and the people and institutions needed to enable change.
The intention is to encourage open debate on whether these proposals represent the most effective pathways for Wales, grounded in evidence and opportunity. The group has been particularly encouraged that the Climate Change Committee — the UK’s statutory advisory body — has endorsed the overall approach, including the need to accelerate climate action in Wales.