A North Wales-based scheme that aims to reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 10 million tonnes, an ‘ecotherapy’ programme in Powys that offers people physical and mental wellbeing benefits in the environment, and a Swansea University scheme that helps children engage in sustainable scientific initiatives, are just a handful of projects being showcased during the COP26 Regional Roadshows as part of COP Cymru (28 October – 26 November).

With world leaders meeting in Glasgow for COP26 to debate the climate emergency, COP Cymru will offer people across Wales the chance to join the conversation, as the Welsh Government, private and public sector organisations and community groups outline their ambitious plans to tackle climate change.

This programme of events over the next month was marked through the launch of Wales’ Net Zero plan last Thursday at the Solar Heat Energy Demonstrator building near Port Talbot. At the event, Welsh Ministers set out to a virtual audience a five-year plan to shape future climate action as Wales aims to become net zero by 2050.

From 4 to 10 November, four COP26 Regional Roadshow events will be broadcast virtually, enabling the public to join discussions on energy transition, nature-based solutions, adaptation and resilience, and clean transport.

Some of the projects championed as part of the Roadshows include:

• The North Wales-based HyNet project which will, from 2025, produce, store and distribute hydrogen as well as capture and store carbon from industry in North Wales and the North West of England. The project has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by 10 million tonnes every year by 2030 – the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road.
• The Wild Skills Wild Spaces programme – delivered by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) – will which offers a 12-week ecotherapy programme. It gives people the chance to improve their physical health and mental wellbeing while making a positive change for wildlife within their communities.
• The Swansea University Science for Schools Scheme (S4), an intensive three-year program with over 500 young people from seven partner schools in South Wales. Each participant attends between three and six events every year on the Swansea University campus, taking part in hands-on, interactive science workshops, with a focus on topics such as ‘sustainable earth’ and ‘dependence on nature’.

The four roadshows will be broadcast live, and a recording will be made available via the on-demand section of the COP Cymru event platform shortly after each event.

Commenting on the upcoming events, Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change, said:

“The climate is changing and so must Wales.

“COP Cymru is an opportunity for all of us to help shape Wales’ future. The progress made so far has been commendable, with emissions in Wales falling by just over 30 per cent over the last 30 years. Many of the projects being discussed have been instrumental in helping drive this change.

“But if we are serious about becoming a net zero nation by 2050, we need to do much more. We estimate that in order to reach the 2050 goal, we will need to cut emissions by more than 30 per cent yet again – but this time in only 10 years.

“Simply put, the next decade must be a decade of climate action.”

The COP Cymru programme will conclude with Wales Climate Week: a Wales-wide conversation on how to tackle the climate emergency, taking place online, from 22 to 26 November.

The five-day programme of virtual events – each day focusing on a different theme – will explore Wales’ contribution to the global challenge of combatting climate change and attempt to answer key questions, such as how nature can be used to manage climate risks and how everyone can make a contribution to achieving a net zero Wales.