Amelia studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Exeter. She focused her studies on the impacts that climate change has on societies and its relationship with economic growth. This is her vision for Wales’ extraordinary opportunity in the fight against the climate crisis.
I grew up just across the bay from Port Talbot steelworks where the blast furnaces had been a serious challenge for over a century. Impacting both the local community and its employees, the steelworks were a major source of air pollution causing serious health problems.
Included in the employees was my late grandfather, who worked at the steelworks for the majority of his life.
However, there has been a turning point for this small town; the final blast furnace was closed in October 2024 and by 2027, all of the furnaces will be electric arc furnaces resulting in a 90% reduction of carbon emissions from the steelworks, hugely improving the air pollution for Port Talbot and the surrounding areas.
This is a huge milestone, and it is just one of the ways in which Wales is modernising industry and reducing its carbon emissions.
We need to invest in more renewable energy.
Wales has already missed out on an incredible opportunity for renewable energy – the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
This project would have taken advantage of the second largest tidal range in the world to generate long-term, predictable, low-carbon electricity for the UK – had the proposal not been rejected by the UK Government in 2018.
If we want to reduce our carbon emissions whilst keeping up with increasing clean energy demand – renewable energy must be invested in.
Scrapping and opposing clean energy projects betrays young people and future generations.
The Welsh Government has set a target to achieve 100% of our energy needs from renewables by 2035, and we need to ensure that we achieve that target.
But Wales is currently lagging behind the rest of the UK on renewable generation, with current projects providing only 27% of the electricity we will need by 2035.
The UK government signed the Climate Change Act in 2008 which commits the government by law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least one hundred percent of 1990 levels by 2050.
In Wales, we also have the Well-Being of Future Generations Act, requiring public bodies to demonstrate that they have applied the Sustainable Development Principle in their decision-making.
"As politicians, they are mandated to ensure that these commitments are met. We are relying on you."
If we don’t achieve our decarbonisation targets, we will surpass climate tipping points which will unequivocally and irreversibly detriment our future.
That’s why I’m personally invested in renewable energy. It can be part of the solution. But the time to act is now.
It’s now or never.
Led entirely by the members themselves, the Board are young consultants acting as the business’ guide to better understand what matters to young people in Wales with regards to their future skills and careers.
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