Environment (Wales) Act 2016

Environment (Wales) Act 2016

3

Commentary on Sections

Part 2 - Climate change

Section 43 - Statements for interim target years and 2050

180. This section places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to prepare and lay before the National Assembly for Wales a statement for each interim target year and for 2050.

181. Subsections (2) to (4) requires the following information to be included in the statements for each of the appropriate target years:

• under subsection (2), in respect of each greenhouse gas the total amount of Welsh emissions, Welsh removals and net Welsh emissions for the year;

• under subsection (3), the total amount of carbon units that have been credited to and debited from the net Welsh emissions account, and details of the number and type of units;

• under subsection (4), the amount of the net Welsh emissions account for the year.

182. Subsection (5) provides that the question of whether the interim targets or 2050 target has been met is to be determined by referring to the information provided in the statement for the target year to which it relates.

183. Subsection (6) provides that the Welsh Ministers must include an explanation of the reasons why they consider that the targets have or have not been met.

184. A statement under this section must be laid before the National Assembly for Wales before the end of the second year after the year to which it relates; for example, the statement for 2020 must be laid before the end of 2022 (subsection (1)(b)).

185. Subsection (7) enables the Welsh Ministers to combine a statement under this section with the statement for a carbon budgetary period (under section 41) that covers the year of the relevant target.