Commentary on Sections Part 2 - Climate change
144.Part 2 of the Act places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to ensure that the ‘net Welsh emissions account’ for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline. The Act makes provisions for a net Welsh emissions account.
145.The Welsh Ministers must in regulations specify interim emissions targets for 2020, 2030 and 2040. These interim targets must be consistent with the 2050 target. The Act also requires the Welsh Ministers to set in regulations a series of carbon budgets for each five-year period between 2016 and 2050 and ensure that the net Welsh emissions account for each of these periods does not exceed the carbon budget for that period. These carbon budgets must be consistent with the interim and 2050 targets.
146.The Act places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to produce a report detailing the policies and proposals that will deliver the reductions demanded by the carbon budgets in Wales by reference to the areas of responsibility of each of the Welsh Ministers. In setting or amending interim targets or carbon budgets, the Welsh Ministers must receive advice from the ‘advisory body’, which can be the UK Committee on Climate Change (as established in the Climate Change Act 2008), a person designated by the Welsh Ministers in subordinate legislation, or a new body established by the Welsh Ministers to exercise functions of the advisory body.