Review of Land Use Climate Change. An assessment of the evidence base for climate change action in the agriculture, land use and wider foodchain sectors in Wales

The Welsh Government (WG) has a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in areas of devolved competence by 3% per annum with an expectation that all relevant sectors will make a contribution. Additionally it aims to cut all emissions by 40% by 2020 against a 1990 baseline. In 2010 the Land Use Climate Change Group (LUCCG) set out a series of recommendations to achieve emissions reduction in the agriculture and land use sectors. However, these sectors showed an increase in emissions of 1.2% in 2011. Given this and the start of a new Rural Development Plan (RDP) for the period to 2020, WG commissioned a review of climate change emissions and adaptation in the agriculture and land use sectors to provide a robust evidence base to support decision makers on climate change policy and to ensure coherence with wider government priorities on jobs, growth and poverty. A desk-based review of the recommendations from the 2010 LUCCG report has been carried out and changes to GHG inventory have been reviewed to consider how this might affect the emissions delivery plan for the sector. Additionally a review of the risks presented by climate change has been carried out to inform the adaptation response, which will be taken forward by WG in a sector adaptation plan (SAP).