The Green Impact: How Devolution Transformed Environmental Policy in Wales
Plans for expansion of the Welsh Senedd by 36 seats have overcome another hurdle, with members voting to advance the legislation another step closer to becoming law, and it is likely it will succeed in doing so (Deans, Browne and Davies, 2024). This indicates a step towards a larger devolved institution, which the Welsh Government argues will more appropriately reflect the greater scope of responsibilities that the Senedd has assumed since 1999, such as making laws and setting tax rates (Welsh Government, 2023). This increase in size of the devolved institutions in Wales reminds one of the galvanising effect that previous increases in devolved powers have had on Welsh lawmaking. A pertinent contemporary example of this is the effects of the devolution of Welsh environmental policy.
An example of environmental policy implemented by the Welsh Assembly is the legislation that legally obliges the Welsh Government to act in accordance with the principle of sustainable development as part of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 (Senedd Research, 2019). This law represents a commitment to future policymaking in line with responsible environmental principles imposed on the Senedd by itself, which demonstrates a significant degree of environmental responsibility. This legislation, passed independently of Westminster, is just one example of how devolved institutions can help Wales to navigate its own path when it comes to prominent issues such as the environment, and in a way that is best suited to the needs and desires of the Welsh people.
Let us delve deeper into why devolution has a crucial role to play in Wales’s environmental policy. Devolution has allowed the Welsh government to take the initiative in reducing the harm it does to the environment, without having to pass legislation through Westminster, due in part to environmental policy being further devolved in the Government of Wales Act 2006 (UK Government, 2015). This is proven by measurable changes in Wales’s energy statistics post-devolution. For example, the chart below shows that electricity in Wales is already moving at a fair pace towards renewables, in a major step towards environmental sustainability (Senedd Research, 2019). This progress arguably would not be possible without commitments to emissions reductions by the Welsh government (ibid), further establishing the link between devolution and positive environmental outcomes.
In addition to increasing independence regarding environmental policy, devolution has given Wales the potential to lead ahead of the rest of the UK in some environmental areas. For example, Wales was the first nation in the UK to introduce the plastic bag levy, which was then adopted later by the three other nations (Institute for Government, 2019, p. 67). This demonstrates that due to devolution of powers, Wales unlocks the potential to be ahead of the curve in environmental policy, as it has the power to implement legislation on the initiative of its own politicians, and not those in Westminster.
A criticism could be levied towards the Welsh Government that the legislation it has passed regarding environmental policy is largely based on promises for the future and that it remains to be seen if the implementation will match up to the aspirations set out by Wales’s environmental policies (ibid, p. 68). For the most part, this is a valid criticism, but in the realm of environmental policy, the very nature of the issue is long-term, with the Welsh government’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% hoping to be implemented by 2050 (Senedd Research, 2019), and this is important to consider when analysing environmental policy.
To conclude, it is clear to see how devolution has enabled Wales to tread its own path in the key area of environmental policy, with devolved environmental powers enable the Senedd to pass legislation that sets the trend for the rest of the UK, such as the Plastic Bag levy. We also see devolution setting the tone for the future as the Senedd committed itself to upholding sustainable development in Wales in the future. However, one can argue that future commitments are an easy promise to make but could prove to be harder to implement for the Welsh Government when push comes to shove. The full effects of devolution on Welsh environmental outcomes remain to be seen, but it is clear how it has opened the door for potential progress in this area.
Bibliography
Deans, D., Browne, A. and Davies, D. (2024). Plans for More Senedd Politicians Move Step Closer. BBC News. [online] 30 Jan. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-68148519 [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
Institute for Government (2019). Has Devolution Worked? [online] Instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Available at: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/has-devolution-worked-essay-collection-FINAL.pdf.
Senedd Research (2019). Devolution 20 – How has the Welsh environment changed? [online] research.senedd.wales. Available at: https://research.senedd.wales/research-articles/devolution-20-how-has-the-welsh-environment-changed/ [Accessed 11 Feb. 2024].
UK Government (2015). Government of Wales Act 2006. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/32/contents.
Welsh Government (2023). Senedd Reform. [online] www.gov.wales. Available at: https://www.gov.wales/senedd-reform [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
the catchy title of this blog post immediately caught my eye and intrigued me to read on. I did not know much about Welsh devolution, but this blog post enabled me to get a feel for it in action in a very important policy area. I liked how the author took the time to explain what exactly the expansion of the Welsh government would mean for all of its devolved powers and not just from an environmental standpoint. I also found it useful how the author provided a practical example of how devolution has impacted Welsh environmental policy through energy consumption. Another example of devolution working to favour the Welsh environmental impact that the author could have included is their ability to implement a policy across five areas of the country that reduces speed limits to 50mph to fight pollution. To improve, the author could briefly compare just how much more devolved the Welsh system has become since its implementation in 1998.
This blog post intrigued me straight away as I had little knowledge on the Welsh Senedd and on their environmental policies. Using a current issue like the environment and showing how devolution can have its benefits on it, is a unique way on looking at the topic of devolution. The blog post was informative on the changes Wales is making to help protect the environment. I especially found the part about how Wales was the first of the devolved governments to implement a plastic bag levy, leading to all others following suit. This highlights how devolved governments legislations can influence one another to benefit the UK as a whole. The graph used highlights how Wales have improved their renewable energies, to further show how Wales compares to the rest of the UK a graph could be included to compare the renewable energy usage from the four other countries. This could then further be used in the argument that a devolved government is able or more able to get environmantal policies through.
The argument presented regarding the Wellbeing of Future Generations legislation passed being aspirational, but that this is fair given how long-term issues surrounding environmental policy are, is an excellent point that I had not considered before reading this article. Naturally, this “aspirational” type of law leads to questions of enforceability (Davies, 2016), yet as the article ascertained, the Welsh government has already shown its commitment to this law through its move towards renewable energy and its implementation of the plastic bag levy. Therefore, the aspirational qualities of this law are validated as useful in Wales, which supports the final statement of the article where this law has “opened the door for potential progress in this area”. In all, I think this portrayal of aspirational laws as a good thing is a concept that could really be explored further in literature by taking into account this example from Wales.
Davies, H. (2016) “The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015: Duties or aspirations?”, Environmental Law Review, 18(1), pp. 41-56 [Online] Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461452916631889 (Accessed 13th February 2024).
Firstly, this blog catches the eye with an intriguing title that compels the audience to continue reading. Welsh devolution is often an area that most people do not have much knowledge of, especially compared to its Scottish or Northern Irish counterparts, as the Welsh institution is considerably weaker and therefore often neglected from discourse surrounding devolution. Therefore, it was great to see this author tackle the issue of Welsh devolution and particularly its success in the area of environmental policy.
This blog is well-structured, well-referenced, and explains new concepts thoroughly. A great strength of this blog is that it employs a graph and statistics to affirm and substantiate its arguments.
It would’ve been interesting if the author had compared the success of devolved environmental policy in Wales to that of other devolved regions. Although the author showcases examples of Welsh policy being highly innovative and leading ahead of the rest of the UK, such as being the first nation in the UK to introduce the plastic bag levy, Muinzer suggest that England and Wales work slowly towards environmental targets whilst Scotland exceeds national standards (2017). Therefore, acknowledging and discussing counterarguments like these would add further analysis to the blog, and showcase a deeper understanding of the topic.
Overall, this is a well-researched an highly insightful blog.
Muinzer, T., 2016. Warming Up: Northern Ireland’s Developing Response to Climate Change in the Context of UK Devolution. UKELA E-Law (96) September/October, 2016, pp.19-22.