Behind the policy: Dr Jack Price on Climate Action in Wales

Jack’s journey into policy began with his PhD in social and political philosophy, where his academic interest in political theory evolved into a passion for how change actually happens on the ground.

After a short stint with the Welsh Government, he joined the Wales Centre for Public Policy - a Cardiff University-based research institute funded by the Welsh Government, the Economic and Social Research Council, and Cardiff University.

At the centre, Jack’s role is to help policymakers in Wales access, understand, and use the best available evidence to inform decisions on the country’s biggest challenges.

“The technical term for what we do is knowledge brokering,” Jack explains. “We translate work that experts in the field have done into forms that are useful for policymakers. That can be on anything that is devolved to Wales - and sometimes beyond.”

Today, Jack’s focus is on environment and net zero.

Wales has made meaningful progress on decarbonisation - but, as Jack notes, the next phase will be tougher.

“Emissions have reduced, and Wales has hit its first carbon budget target compared to the baseline level,” he says. “The low-hanging fruit have now been picked. Meeting future targets requires more ambitious action and more difficult policy interventions.”

When talking about unique challenges in Wales, Jack points to its heavy industrial past, as well as heavy agricultural sector.

Wales’ approach has been guided by forward-looking legislation such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015), which requires public bodies to consider the long-term impact of their decisions on social, economic and environmental well-being. Complementary legislation, including the Environment (Wales) Act, has strengthened the evidence base on the state of nature and ecosystems - creating a strong foundation for informed action.

Jack understands that climate policies, if not carefully designed, can risk deepening inequalities.

In our special podcast he emphasises the need for an equitable transition.

He added: “We’ve got to ensure the policies developed actually protect vulnerable groups - especially those in rural areas or on lower incomes. 

“One solution lies in green growth: using the net zero transition as a means of economic development, particularly in parts of Wales where there are post-industrial communities. We should harness this transition to improve living standards across Wales.”

As always, communicating the need for change is one of the biggest challenges and talking to people must be genuine.

Jack says: “If you listen, respond to their concerns, and genuinely engage in two-way discussion, people are far more likely to support and even champion the changes needed.”

That conversation is particularly important in the built environment, one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. With some of the oldest and least energy-efficient housing stock in Europe, Wales faces a unique challenge.

“Off-grid homes are common here - often using oil or coal. We have a highly rural population compared to the rest of the UK.

“But those are already more expensive than decarbonised alternatives like heat pumps. 

“Off grid oil and off grid gas are both more expensive than you would pay if you had a heat pump installed in the majority of cases.

“The key is communicating those financial and environmental benefits clearly.”

However, cost and training remain barriers.

“Many installers don’t see the point in retraining for low-carbon solutions because demand is low - but demand is low because there aren’t enough trained installers.

“Breaking that cycle might require large-scale investment or making retraining easier and faster.”

Despite the scale of the challenge, Jack remains optimistic.

“It’s a complicated challenge, but one that’s well understood. We know what we need to do, we know thanks to the work of the Climate Change Committee and others what that is going to look like - the challenge is now putting it in place.

“History shows we have faced bigger unknowns. The difference here is we understand the problem; the challenge is mobilising everyone in time.”

And his message for anyone wanting to make a difference?

“Get involved. We urgently need passionate, committed, clever people - not just to design and develop solutions, but to persuade, convincing people and bring others along. 

“The benefits of this transition are not just environmental; they’re social and economic too. That’s how we’ll keep the momentum going.”

Listen to the full conversation with Dr Jack Price on The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast as part of our Wales Climate Week series.

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