The climate and nature crisis is on our doorstep. Will the next Senedd take the action needed to save our future? 

Shea Buckland Jones, WWF Cymru Head of Policy and Advocacy

The Senedd elections are nearly upon us in Wales and as political parties release their election manifestos, I am once again pondering whether the environment will get the attention it deserves.

Surely, this time around, political parties will truly understand why we urgently need to act, not least because they are now physically seeing the impacts of climate change and nature loss in front of their own eyes?

• Climate impacts: Wales is already feeling the effects of climate change—more floods, more droughts, more wildfires. Over 273,000 homesare now at risk of flooding. The February 2020 storms caused over £81 million in damage to 3,000+ properties in Wales, while recent 2026 storms caused over £9 million in damage in Monmouthshire alone  (for those currently watching Sky’s Wales based ‘Under Salt Marsh’ TV series, it is a stark reminder about the impacts of climate change on communities)
• Agricultural and economic risks: Extreme weather threatens our ability to grow and access food. Farmers in Wales are losing tens of millions of pounds every year due to the impacts of extreme weather
• Cost of living impacts: Climate shocks are dictating the rise and fall of food inflation. The UK’s latest national security assessmentwarns that critical ecosystems are on a “pathway to collapse” – raising risks of more severe crop failure, worsening natural disasters and disease outbreaks. The impact of climate change alone in 2022-23 increased the average household food bill in Wales by £361 
• Wider societal impacts: We are now seeing pollution in our rivers and seas having a big impact on wildlife and the health of our communities. Consequently there is a block on housebuilding in Wales because of this pollution– a hit to our economy and desperate housing need
• Global and local nature crises: A new Global Tipping points reportwarns that global warming means that we are now entering a danger zone where multiple tipping points put billions of people and animals at risk.  This is a 999 for nature - 18% of assessed species  are at risk of extinction in Wales, with over 2% already gone.

We do not have time for political inaction. 

Our politicians have not done enough. Time and time again we have made the case that saving nature is not a ‘nice to have’ and that our economy ‘does not work without nature’. Nature is vital to a safe and prosperous future, including the supply of food and the prices we all pay for it.

We’ve largely ignored nature for too long and the bill for neglect is now showing up in flooded towns, rising food costs, supply chain fragility and even risks to GDP  (yes, I know GDP is a poor measure of development but it has functioned as the ”Holy Grail” of economic policy for decades).

The sceptic in me worries that the message still hasn’t landed. That the majority of politicians still do not understand how connected action to address nature loss or tackle climate change is to the Welsh economy, to the cost of living, to health, to food security.

We need to make politicians and decision makers understand. 

The reality is that consecutive public surveys show us that public concern about climate change and nature is strong. But we also know that it is conditional and crowded out by cost-of-living pressures. We need to anchor arguments in tangible lived experiences and get smarter on how we link climate and nature action to everyday concerns – to the cost of living, to health and the economy.

Because the economy and nature are intrinsically linked, with more than half of the global economy depending on nature for essential services like clean water, air, and food. The net zero sector is growing three times faster than the UK economy overall. If growth is the Welsh government’s core mission, these statistics underline that we need to better grasp this opportunity in Wales.

Climate and nature action will save households money 

The truth is that the cost-of-living crisis of the past few years has been driven largely by rising fossil fuel prices, mainly gas. By switching to cheap, clean energy, like wind and solar, produced here in the UK, we can stabilise our energy bills and get off the gas price rollercoaster.  Wales is full of natural power and we need to stop wasting this opportunity to better utilise it.

Much greater public and private investment in nature-based solutions on farmland in Wales (such as tree planting and wetlands) will not only help farmers build their resilience to climate change, prevent economic losses on farm and protect food supplies, but also better hold water on farmland and prevent flooding in our communities.  This in turn would prevent food losses and help stabilise food prices for citizens. Almost 90% of Wales is farmland, but we have been underestimating the huge role it has in tackling many societal issues including flooding, and should reflect this need in future ambition of the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Access to nature improves physical and mental health – obesity alone is estimated to cost the Welsh NHS £73 million annually. Nature is a tool for wellbeing and a preventative mechanism for saving health costs. 

Increased climate and nature action is the only way to secure better lives, a thriving economy, address the cost of living, create new green jobs through future proofing industries, better health, greater security, and restored nature for this nation of nature-lovers.

This could be a turning point for Wales. We must demand change.

I would ask everyone reading this to speak to your local Senedd candidates, and to sign WWF Cymru’s petition calling on the next Welsh Government to deliver greener jobs and economy, cleaner rivers and healthier seas for people and wildlife, better resilience to droughts and floods, a reverse in species decline and nature loss and a reliable supply of nutritious, affordable food  Petition to bring Wales back to life | WWF.

Now is more important than ever in Wales to be vocal on these issues and make your constituency candidates aware of the issues that you deeply care about, and that you want them to prioritise ahead of and beyond the Senedd elections. The time is now, tick tock its ticking away.