Wales Climate Week - South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Wales Climate Week takes place from 4-8th December 2023.

You’ve likely seen coverage of COP28 on the news – the UN climate change conference in UAE, despite the controversies, a pivotal opportunity to correct course and accelerate action on the climate crisis. The world is taking stock of progress on the Paris Agreement – the landmark global climate treaty – and chart a course of action to dramatically reduce emissions and protect lives and livelihoods.

Running simultaneously is Wales Climate Week, which encourages a Welsh conversation on climate change, and provides an opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to network and engage in important discussions on how Wales can play its part in tackling climate change. The theme for this year’s Climate Week is also one of the most important questions facing our society today:

How do we tackle climate change in a fair way?

In Wales, the Welsh Government has committed to ensuring a just transition to a greener, more sustainable economy that isn’t reliant on fossil fuels. This means an approach driven by the guiding principle of leaving no-one behind.

Wales Climate Week 2023 will feature a five-day virtual conference examining the disproportionate impacts of climate change on different people, groups, organisations and places, and will explore how the benefits associated with new climate policies are distributed fairly across society. You can register for sessions or find out more here.

At South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, we, like the rest of the Welsh public sector, are working towards net zero carbon status by 2030. This means that we are reducing carbon emissions within our buildings, fleet, and supply chain and will then offset emissions that cannot be reduced within operations (invest in carbon sequestration opportunities) – imagine an equation in balance – that is the place of harmony we want to get to.

We also work with people on the ground as a trusted presence, and can offer people a voice and advocate for our communities on issues of safety and fairness, as we adapt to a warming world and its implications, in the name of reducing risk, raising awareness, and protecting the environment.

We know that technology and infrastructure have to meet us halfway, but we must also have the support and commitment from people within the organisation. We must understand the challenges we face, and what we personally can do to help – and there will be something for everyone.

In 2024, we will be officially launching our Sustainability Champions network, putting together a sustainability training programme and implementing a new environmental management system. We want to have better climate conversations and see more action within the service and to empower people to play their part in reaching our goals, in the fairest way possible, with no-one left behind.