What we looked at

In 2017, the Welsh Government announced its intention to achieve a carbon neutral public sector by 2030. In 2021, the Welsh Government more formally established a collective ambition for a net zero public sector
by 2030.

We reported on progress in 2022 and found ‘clear uncertainty’ that public bodies would achieve the collective ambition. We made five calls for action. These were around leadership, strategic direction, data, finances,and skills.

This latest report takes a high-level look at what has happened since 2022. We have not examined public bodies’ approaches in detail or their spending decisions.

Why this is important

Climate change is one of the world’s defining challenges, and the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency in Wales in 2019. A crucial way to mitigate the impacts of climate change is to reduce carbon emissions.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations recently warned that the world’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions are dangerously off track. The public sector can lead by example in reducing emissions and being a catalyst for wider changes in the economy and society.

What we have found

It is now highly unlikely that the public sector will achieve the collective ambition. While there are many examples of changes relevant to our calls for action, overall, there has not been the acceleration we called for in 2022.

We came to this view because:

• Decarbonisation has become a lower priority for public bodies, partly due to financial pressures. It has not been fully embedded into day-today decision making, and public bodies are not doing enough to work together.
• The collective ambition has driven action but is poorly defined and criticised for being ‘unachievable’. Public bodies want more help to translate the Welsh Government’s Public Sector Route Map (the route map) into action. And the Welsh Government is not checking whether public bodies are achieving the route map milestones.
• More public bodies are now part of the Welsh Government’s carbon emissions reporting system and some gaps in data have been filled. Reported emissions have increased but trend data does not tell the full story as these improvements in reporting coverage have played a part. And public bodies have concerns about the quality of some of the data because of current calculation methods.
• Public bodies have made limited progress overall in understanding how much it will cost to decarbonise. Where costed near-term plans have been developed, they vary in quality and bodies would like greater certainty about future funding. And where public bodies have estimated the longer-term cost, some described it as unaffordable. Public sector decarbonisation is also only one part of the spending needed to achieve the Welsh Government’s wider net zero ambitions and adapt to climate
  change.
• Public bodies have identified decarbonisation skills gaps but lack a full understanding of their needs. Internal capacity is often limited to small, specialist teams and public bodies rely on consultants and the Welsh Government Energy Service (the WGES) to fill gaps.

What we recommend

Our recommendations focus on the Welsh Government in its leadership role. They address clarifying and supporting the strategic direction, improving carbon emissions reporting, and support for better financial planning.

Public bodies are responsible for their own operations. So, we are also recommending that they