'Serious climate breakdown' warning over filthy rivers and flooding

From filthy rivers to the threat of flooding, Wales is facing "mounting environmental crises on multiple fronts", campaigners have warned.

Friends of the Earth Cymru said a "stark gap" was developing between the public's desire for action on pollution and what politicians were proposing.

They've published a series of reports, shared with BBC Politics Wales, compiling data on the state of the environment in all 16 new Senedd constituencies.

Green issues are set to be "fiercely debated" in the upcoming election campaign, according to one senior academic, who said the parties were using them as a way of differentiating themselves.

Kathy Oakwood and a group of volunteers have been testing water quality on the River Tawe at Clydach in recent years, reporting their findings to a national database.

It was prompted by concerns over discharges from a nearby wastewater treatment works, which has since been upgraded, as well as sewage pollution more widely in rivers and along the coast.

"It's just unbelievable - there are beaches that can become no-go areas because of this pollution," she said.

"We're in the 21st Century, a first world country, this should not be happening."

"What strikes me is that we're at a crossroads as far as the environment is concerned - we're at the beginning of what could be quite serious climate breakdown," she said, pointing to the increase in major flood events and wildfires locally.

"I do understand that probably now with the cost of living crisis and threats from various countries globally people are worried about lots of things.

"But if we don't get this right we're leaving a terrible legacy for future generations."

Friends of the Earth's reports highlight:

• More than 45,000 potentially contaminated land sites across Wales
• Nearly 1,000 Welsh schools are exposed to air pollution levels above safety guidelines
• Poor energy efficiency ratings for 786,440 Welsh homes (58%), leaving families "struggling with high bills and cold, damp conditions"

Haf Elgar, the organisation's director in Wales, said the new constituency data "should serve as a rallying call for all political parties in Wales to act".

"We've seen the environment and climate change go down in terms of the political prioritisation but opinion polling shows people are concerned," she said.

"Sewage in rivers, air pollution around schools and risks from flooding are not abstract statistics – our own lives and our wildlife is at risk from this mounting environmental crisis."

Michael Woods, professor of human geography at Aberystwyth University, said he expected "we could hear a lot more about the environment in this Senedd election" than previously.

Farm subsidy reform, windfarms and pylons, sewage and road-building were all likely to prove key topics of debate in particular constituencies, he said.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said the current government had taken action "to protect over 52,000 properties from flooding this Senedd term with new record levels of investment in flood protection" and passed a "landmark Clean Air Act", and would clean up its rivers and create a new water watchdog if elected.

A Green Party spokesperson said the research showed the current government had "lost control of protecting our environment for people and nature", and it would hold water companies to account and push for "genuine public ownership" to cut bills.

Reform UK Wales said Labour's record "on protecting our waterways has been abysmal" and there had been little sign governments at either end of the M4 were serious about flood prevention.

A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: "This is an emergency playing out in people's lives" and Wales could not afford "another decade of sleepwalking towards crisis", promising to make climate emergency a top priority, create jobs and cut energy bills.

Plaid Cymru said "environmental threats such as flooding, landslips, contaminated land, and pollution show the climate and nature emergencies aren't remote, far-off prospects, but are affecting our ways of life in the here and now in Wales", and said radical, urgent action was needed.

A Welsh Conservative spokesperson said: "Since Labour came into power in Westminster, Environment Agency figures show that serious water pollution incidents have increased compared with the UK Conservative Government in 2023", adding plans for a new regulator won't stop sewage spills or prevent water bill rises.