At the height of the industrial revolution, Wales was the powerhouse of the globe.
It was the coal from our valleys which fuelled development all around the world.
It was our dockyards which became home to an entire generation of people who had their eyes on the prize of a better future.
It was our country which was, in fact, the cradle of the industrial revolution.
As it was then in the form of coal, Wales is today still rich in natural resources. We are rich too in the skills, and energy, and ideas of our people.
We can be the powerhouse of the world once again. And although there remains yet more coal dormant in our hills, we must look to new ways of producing energy.
We already produce around five times the amount of electricity we use as a nation, and yet we see almost none of the profit.
That is, I am sad to say, the long story of our nation.
Most Read
But if we show the political will to make it happen, we here in Wales could finally tackle the climate emergency and create tens of thousands of green collar jobs all across the country.
Plaid Cymru’s plan is to kick-start this revolution with a multi-billion pound investment programme targeting renewable energy, transport infrastructure and digital technology.
By allocating 1% of GDP to green infrastructure over the next decade, we could make Wales a carbon and single-use plastic-free nation by 2030.
We could have new, sustainable transport in every community across Wales. We could put our mountains, our rivers, and our seas to work creating energy.
We could build infrastructure fit for a 21st century country, which serves the modern needs of our communities and families.
This would place Wales at the forefront of green development, giving our country a new opportunity to create the jobs our nation so desperately needs.
It would also make Wales a global leader in the move to renewable energy, and the step change we need to build a sustainable society for our children and grandchildren.
Don’t miss
This week we have already heard that Labour are abandoning their plans to make the 海角视频 carbon neutral by 2030.
Not only does this show how little Labour cares for Wales, shunning what could have been a transformative opportunity, but also highlights how out of touch Labour party is.
While Brexit may dominate this election, tackling the climate emergency is without doubt the single most pressing and important issue of today’s world.
And yet where are Labour? Just like on Brexit, they are, I am afraid, nowhere to be seen. Indecisive, irresponsible, and absent.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have a historically poor record on the environment. Most notably, of course, their central policy of leaving the EU would take us out of a dozen climate and environmental agreements.
I’m afraid no amount of husky hugging will convince me that the Conservatives can be trusted to take the climate emergency seriously.
This election offers the people of Wales a window of opportunity not seen since generations to take our future into our own hands and be the cradle of another industrial revolution: a Green Jobs Revolution.
The plan Plaid Cymru is presenting today would see our country become 100% self-sufficient in renewable energy by 2030.
It would mean investment in our green infrastructure, the likes of which never before seen in Wales.
It would mean creating new metros, a Crossrail, electrified rail routes, a bus network powered by sustainable energy, tidal lagoons, wind farms, and barrages.
It would create tens of thousands of highly-skilled green collar jobs.
This is exactly the kind of innovative, radical thinking that has been missing in Wales under the leadership of the Westminster parties.
There is nothing inherently different about Wales that means that this rut of poverty in which we find ourselves is inevitable.
We can be an innovative, pioneering country once more. Let’s grasp that opportunity together. Let’s back Wales. Let’s back Plaid Cymru.