Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time and everyone, from individuals to companies and governments, must pull together to steer our planet away from disaster: The United Nations says we could have just 11 years left to limit a climate change catastrophe. That’s why we attended the Welsh Government’s climate change conference in Cardiff on October 16, along with our fellow members of RD Group, RDM Electrical Services, DRS Facilities and Environmental.

We wanted to hear the good news about what is being done to make a difference and add our voice to the discussion on what needs to happen to help shape a better future.

As a business we are committed to the ‘circular economy’ – an economic system that sets out to eliminate waste and stopping the ongoing depletion of our planet’s finite resources. In practice, for us, this means finding new ways of building that use sustainable materials, create energy efficiency and incorporate innovative approaches to everything from power to waste.

We are also working closely with business standards company BSI to bring about the creation of a new Publicly Available Specification standard (PAS) to be awarded to companies in the building sector that demonstrate a commitment to the circular economy.

Wales is leading the way in the fight to tackle the climate crisis through the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, which requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.

The Act is unique to Wales attracting interest from countries across the world as it offers a huge opportunity to make a long-lasting, positive change to current and future generations. In the same week of the Welsh Government’s climate change conference, Big Issue founder Lord John Bird introduced the Future Generations Bill to the House of Lords as a private member’s bill. Based on Wales’ Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, it demands that 44 public bodies, including Welsh Government ministers, NHS Trusts and the National Park Authority, take action to improve economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing. It aims to replicate the Welsh legislation, give it more teeth, and extend its reach to the whole of the UK. This is a major step in the right direction and demonstrates the impact the Welsh Act is having as governments look for ways to make positive changes.

October’s climate conference in Cardiff demonstrates that the Welsh Government is still pushing forward with its commitment to making this planet a liveable one for future generations. As has been said many times: there is no Planet B.