Written question WQ90443
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Climate Change
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 12 days
Question
What assessment has the Minister made of the impact on Welsh Government climate targets of the Carbon Brief analysis findings which state that the UK's fossil fuel usage has dropped to its lowest level since 1957?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Climate Change
This specific Carbon Brief analysis is limited to electricity generated by the consumption of fossil fuels, not wider UK wide fossil fuel usage. The extrapolated claim of the use of fossil fuels being the lowest since 1957 is arbitrary and misleading. We recognise the urgent need to phase out fossil fuel use in Wales and globally as soon as is practically possible.
The climate emergency requires sustained action to decarbonise our energy system and not just electricity production. More fundamentally, continued use of fossil fuels at the scale currently across the UK and globally severely risks our ability to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement.
We urge UK Government to show leadership in tackling the climate emergency and provide the necessary support to phase out fossil fuels, and transition to a renewable based energy system as soon as is practically possible.