Issue 5A: Devolved Decisions

What control does the devolved Welsh Government have over energy production in Wales?
In 2019, the Senedd officially declared a Climate Emergency, making Wales the first government in the world to do so. The action took place fewer than 40 years after the central UK government clashed with striking miners, whom Thatcher called “the enemy within”. It was made possible by devolution, with environmental policy being one of the Welsh Assembly’s powers...but increasing pressures for energy security raise questions about the future of Wales’ true independence around these issues.

Issue 5B: Developing Demands

How is demand for energy changing in Wales, as both infrastructure and culture evolve?
While the Industrial Revolution and capitalist modes of production have played a huge role in anthropogenic climate change, they have also been central in enhancing standards of living around the world. Today, the challenge lies in balancing the benefits of energy consumption for individuals and communities with the costs of energy production to ecosystems. There are two primary ways to do this: (1) by reducing demand for use, and (2) by reducing the negative impacts associated with sourcing. This set of resources considers the first of these strategies through a case study of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Issue 5C: Coal Controversies

How has coal production impacted Welsh history, identity, and society?
Mining in Wales dates back to at least the Roman Empire, but the Industrial Revolution launched a particularly intense era for iron and coal. Engineering innovations allowed for deeper shafts and increased extraction, though the mechanisation did relatively little to make life better for those working in the mines. The UK government began shutting down collieries in the 1980s, against popular opinion within most mining communities - creating tensions felt to this day.

Issue 5D: Renewable Resources

Could Wales make as much energy from sustainable sources as it did from coal?
Reducing demand for energy (ideally while still providing the social benefits of its use) is one way to take action on climate change. Another is to reduce the problematic environmental footprint of how we extract and process energy. Chief among those negative impacts is greenhouse gas emissions, but there are other ecological concerns associated with virtually every energy source, no matter how ‘sustainable’.

Issue 5E: Offshore Oil

Who decides whether and how Wales should exploit its oil and gas resources?
Four decades ago, Westminster began forcibly closing Welsh mines - for economic rather than environmental reasons. Today, Westminster might begin forcibly opening Welsh oil wells...again, more for political and economic reasons than for sustainability concerns. While the Welsh government has a strong ecological track record and ethos, the British government is facing geopolitical questions around oil and gas supply, as well as a cost of living crisis. How decisions should be made around economic, social, and environmental tradeoffs is increasingly debated.