Welsh charities urge ministers to demand polluter taxes at COP31

Nation.Cymru staff

Welsh charities and campaign groups have urged the Welsh Government to press for taxes on major polluters at the COP31 climate summit, while doing more to protect workers and communities at home.

Global Climate Justice Group Cymru wants ministers to lobby Westminster for taxes on fossil fuel profits and wealthy polluters to help fund repairs from climate disasters.

The coalition’s demands come as Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd prepares to attend the UN summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

It is also calling for faster home insulation, more community-owned renewable energy and support for workers moving from high-carbon industries into new jobs.

Bethan Sayed, head of Oxfam Cymru, said the costs of climate breakdown were falling unfairly on households and communities.

“At COP31, Welsh Ministers must press Westminster to tax fossil fuel profits for climate repairs, while using devolved powers here to insulate homes, protect workers, and build community energy,” she said.

“Global solidarity shouldn’t be just rhetorical. Cymru must stand in global solidarity by demanding rich polluters deliver grant-based climate finance and Loss and Damage funding for nations on the frontline of the climate crisis. Climate finance is a matter of justice, not charity.”

The coalition argues that flooding and wildfires in Wales underline the need to connect domestic action with support for countries facing severe climate impacts overseas.

It wants international climate funding provided through grants rather than loans that could deepen poorer countries’ debts.

Jenny Lloyd, interim director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “From wildfires and flooding in Wales to deforestation and food and water scarcity around the world, the people suffering the worst impacts of climate breakdown are overwhelmingly those who have done least to cause it.

“Meanwhile, greedy polluters continue to profit while wrecking our climate, poisoning rivers and land, and destroying nature. Communities in Wales and across the Global South are already suffering the consequences. At COP31, Welsh leaders must champion climate justice and demand that those most responsible for the crisis pay their fair share.”

The group’s proposals include fair pay, union-backed jobs and retraining for workers as Wales shifts towards cleaner energy, alongside accelerating insulation in social housing.

It also wants ministers to maintain or increase funding for international development projects delivered by Welsh partners.

Food and forests

Barbara Davies-Quy, deputy director of Size of Wales, said food production and public purchasing decisions needed greater attention.

“Wales cannot claim to be tackling the climate crisis while our food systems and supply chains continue to drive deforestation thousands of miles away,” she said.

“COP31 must be a turning point, recognising the role of farming, food production and public procurement in protecting the world’s forests.”

The coalition wants government procurement and supply chains to support sustainable farming and avoid contributing to deforestation.

Health warning

The appeal follows a call from the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change for climate change to be formally recognised as a global health emergency.

The report, published on October 28, involved more than 140 experts from over 30 countries, led by University College London in collaboration with the World Health Organisation.

Its findings suggested annual average heat-related deaths rose by nearly 36% globally after the Paris Agreement was introduced in 2015. Heat was linked to a record 710,000 deaths in 2023, with more than 70% attributed to human-caused climate change.

Professor Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown, said: “A decade after the Paris Agreement, our findings are unambiguous: the health harms of climate change are growing faster than the world’s response to them, and in many cases even accelerating.”

She said improvements in clean energy and health protection were delivering benefits, but progress remained too slow and was failing to reach those most in need.