A Test of Commitment: Evaluating the Welsh Government’s First 100 Days on the Environment
As the new Welsh Government reaches its 100-day milestone, it has been busy outlining the progress made toward its core agenda. However, for environmental advocates, this inaugural period has raised more questions than answers. Shea Buckland-Jones, Head of Policy and Advocacy for WWF Cymru, warns that without explicit focus, the administration’s strategy may fall short of the urgent action required to tackle the climate and nature emergency.
When Plaid Cymru solidified its five core priorities—healthcare, childcare, the Welsh economy, education, and child poverty—the absence of the environment was glaring. Critics argue that this omission is not merely a bureaucratic oversight but a fundamental misunderstanding of how climate stability underpins every other facet of Welsh life.
A Climate in Crisis
The urgency of the situation is no longer theoretical. Recent years have seen a surge in environmental volatility, including devastating winter floods and a sharp rise in wildfires. In 2025 alone, Welsh fire services responded to 3,474 grass fires—a staggering 275% increase from the previous year.
The human and economic costs are mounting. With over 273,000 homes at risk of flooding and millions of pounds in agricultural output lost annually to extreme weather, the case for prioritizing the environment is one of national security and economic survival. Furthermore, the environmental impact of these disasters is severe: during the July wildfires, the county borough of Torfaen recorded one of the highest intensities of carbon emissions per square kilometer in the world.
“Wales was built for a climate that no longer exists,” says Buckland-Jones, noting that the country is currently operating in a state of environmental vulnerability that threatens public health and food security.
Navigating the First 100 Days
The environment sector has spent these first three months in a defensive posture, pushing back against potential policy regressions. There are ongoing concerns that initiatives aimed at reducing “regulatory burdens” on farms might inadvertently weaken vital environmental protections, such as the Habitat Regulations.
While the sector is wary of further “planning” at the expense of tangible progress, there are flickers of hope. The government’s commitment to a pathway toward net-zero by 2040 is a welcome development. However, environmental groups are now calling for the government to publicly commit to the global “30×30” target—protecting at least 30% of Wales’ land and water by 2030.
The Path Forward
To bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality, advocates are pushing for a more collaborative approach. This includes:
- Meaningful Representation: Ensuring the environment sector has a permanent seat at the table in key decision-making bodies, including the Wildfire Summit and the National Food Strategy expert group.
- Accountability: Establishing clear, measurable outcomes that allow the public to track the effectiveness of government initiatives.
- Leveraging Existing Policy: Utilizing the Sustainable Farming Scheme as a vehicle for large-scale, nature-based solutions that bolster biodiversity while protecting farming livelihoods.
The government’s manifesto contains a robust list of promises, from the creation of an independent Office for Environmental Governance to a new National Nature Service. The challenge now lies in execution.
Ultimately, the administration was elected on a promise to put the communities and interests of Wales first. As the first 100 days conclude, it is clear that until the climate and nature crises are treated with the same urgency as economic or health policies, the government will struggle to build the resilient future that Wales deserves. For now, the environment remains a test of the government’s resolve to move beyond pledges and toward transformative action.
