Commentary on Sections Part 2 - Climate change Section 30 - Interim emissions targets
151.This section places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to set interim emissions targets, which are maximum amounts for the net Welsh emissions account for each interim target year. It also places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to ensure that those targets are not exceeded. These interim targets will be expressed as a percentage reduction and work in the same way as the 2050 target.
152.Subsection (3) specifies that the interim target years are 2020, 2030 and 2040 and subsection (4) requires that before the end of 2018, the Welsh Ministers must set interim emissions targets for those years. When making the regulations to set these targets, the Welsh Ministers must regard to the matters provided in section 32(3). Before the Welsh Ministers lay draft regulations to set the targets for 2020, 2030 and 2040, they must seek advice from the advisory body (section 49(1)). The advice provided to the Welsh Ministers by the advisory body must also include the body’s opinion on the matters provided in section 50(1), which includes whether the proposed targets are the highest achievable targets and if not, what are the highest achievable targets.