The climate crisis is the ‘biggest threat to life since humans have existed’ says Plaid MS

Delyth Jewell

In Wales, we’re very familiar with the story of Cantre’r Gwaelod – the kingdom lost to the sea because the guardian of the gate fell asleep on the job and let in the water, losing the land to the sea forever. The myth is well known, and it may even have some basis in fact.

The story of this lost kingdom is even more pertinent today as we face both a rise in sea levels and an apathy crisis in the leaders who should be holding back the tide.

The many crises we’ve faced recently, Brexit, Covid, Ukraine, the rising Cost of Living, are all interlinked. They’ve all inflicted damage on our society and the health of our communities and our economies.

All signs are now pointing to the looming Climate crisis on the horizon being the biggest threat to life since humans have existed.

Climate change has caused devastating floods in Pakistan, displacing almost 8 million people.

Climate change is causing drought, drying up rivers and reservoirs around the world and pushing 40m people in East Africa closer to famine.

Climate change will cause our sea levels to rise, risking the homes of millions of people throughout coastal communities of the UK.

Solution

It’s easy to feel hopeless, but we mustn’t. Every crisis has a solution, and together we can begin to change this fate.

Securing commitments by world leaders to go above and beyond must be the aim of Cop27 in Egypt this week. Maintaining the status quo is not an option anymore.

The world’s leaders must commit to abandoning fossil fuels, adopting renewable energy and stop deforestation.

Plaid Cymru is holding a debate this week in the Senedd on the role that Wales can play. Even though we’re a small nation when compared with some of the dominating populations of the world, we can do our bit, and we can be part of the change.

We can always undertake to do the “pethau bychain” – the little things, in St David’s famous phrase.

Wales pioneered the ‘Future Generations Act’ that made it law to consider the impact of decisions on the people of natural environments of the future.

Well, now we must think of how our actions as a nation affect the future generations of every nation.

Crisis

Nature is in a state of crisis in Wales, and the continued decline of biodiversity is one of the greatest threats facing our sustainable future.

The facts speak for themselves, with 1 in 6 of our species here in Wales faces extinction.

We need action on biodiversity from the Welsh Government, at home and abroad.

Making our imports sustainable must be a priority. An area nearly half the size of Wales was required overseas to grow Welsh imports in an average year between 2011- 2018, causing deforestation, habitat conversion, greenhouse gas emissions, and risking exploitative labour practices.

This cannot continue under Labour’s watch. The Welsh Government must ensure we are a globally responsible nation.

Rising sea levels will displace millions of people in the UK, receding the coastline past villages, towns and cities. Continued hotter summers and colder winters will destroy biodiversity and our ability to grow our own food, creating shortages worldwide.

During this cost-of-living crisis, we have seen prices rise incredibly fast. We’re facing that growth at a rate we’ve never known, unless commitments are made.

There is no room for apathy, and no falling asleep on the job. We must take action. The fate of communities the world over, including in Wales, are at stake.

The lasting legacy of Cantre’r Gwaelod must be that we in Wales will never allow our future to be washed away. The people we’ve voted for must stay awake and alive to the dangers befalling us.