Our planet is in crisis, or, as Greta Thunberg put it: “our house is on fire”, writes Jane Dodds MS

This autumn, world leaders will meet in Glasgow to agree the next steps to address the climate crisis.

There’s no room for manoeuvre or to delay. This isn’t an issue for someone else or for another generation to resolve.

If we fail to act we threaten food security, face extreme weather events, coastal erosion, and flooding. We face a crisis that could see towns and villages across Powys vanish by 2050 as sea levels rise as a result of global temperature rises.

We must treat the climate and nature crisis as crises with the same intensity of focus and resources that we have taken to keeping people safe from COVID-19. There are no second chances.

I wanted to share three ideas that would help us tackle the climate crisis and create opportunities for communities across Wales.

According to the most recent figures, 10,000 households in Powys were living in fuel poverty.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for a Green Recovery programme which would include investing in the energy efficiency of our homes.

Our farmers are facing huge challenges. The need to meet their obligations to our collective contribution to tackling the climate crises, and the continuing uncertainty about future funding arrangements since our departure from the European Union, raises questions about the future of farming and food security. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have backed calls for a food and farming strategy for Wales, underpinned by measures to protect and restore nature, to support our farmers and our growing food and drink sector.

Finally, we need to urgently get to grips with the damage we are causing to our natural environment and wildlife. From our rivers, our uplands, the air we breathe, we are approaching a tipping point where some damage will be irreversible.

We should be exploring the potential of a National Nature Service to create jobs and opportunities directly linked with the maintenance and improvement of our natural environment, for the benefit of people and our planet.

There are opportunities to help people and communities thrive as we seek to protect our environment and climate here in Powys and beyond, but time is running out and it cannot be left to the next generation to pick up what little is left.