How is climate change and river pollution shaking up the Senedd Election?

Candidates in the upcoming Senedd election have been out on the campaign trail across Wales, with some voters yet to make their minds up about which party they will vote for on May 7th.

So far in the campaign we have heard from voters who will choose where they put their X on the ballot paper based on their experiences with the health service, and their views on immigration.

However, as climate change deepens across the world, and concerns about the protection of our natural environment grow, some voters say that they will support the party who will do the most to tackle those issues.

Earlier this month, Scott Hardacre from Caerphilly was on a morning walk with his dog when he noticed a pungent smell in the air and saw the colours of a fuel spill in the river.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service told local people that they were aware of a strong smell of petrol in the area.

Natural Resources Wales said they were dealing with the incident and investigating. But Scott said that he will vote for a party that is serious about reducing incidents of water pollution.

“In terms of what I’d be voting for,” said Scott. “Someone with a bit more enforcement of these types of issues. I’m far from an environmentalist. But it does frustrate me the state on our rivers, and just the general cleanliness of the area as well.”

But experts say that water pollution is not the only threat to our natural environment. They say the impact of climate change is one of the biggest threats that Wales faces.

Since the last Senedd election, Wales has been hit by severe storms including Bert and Claudia. Last November Storm Claudia brought the worst flooding Monmouth had seen in 40 years.

In November 2024 Storm Bert brought a repeat of the flooding in Pontypridd that the town had seen in Storm Dennis in February 2020.

Josh Downes is a barber with a shop on Pontypridd’s Mill Street.

He said he has never voted in a Senedd election before. But after being flooded in successive storms, he is going to vote at the 2026 Senedd election, and he will vote for a party who will do more for victims of climate change.

“The thing is, you don’t want anybody to come forward and say they’re going to do it then not follow that through,” said Josh. You want someone who takes it seriously. It’s not just climate change.

“It’s the sort of effects after it. It’s the flooding and the lives it damages from the outside. And it does change your life. Because it sort of puts you in a position where…well for me, I was in a position where I was financially destroyed.”

Experts also say that it is not just in urban areas and near rivers where climate change poses a threat.

Earlier this month another landslide on the Llyn Peninsula near Morfa Nefyn saw roads closed and footpaths shut.

Richard Bryant is a geologist who has moved to the area from the South coast of England, where coastal erosion and landslides were even more frequent.

He said that residents will want more help from the next Welsh Government.

“They’ve put a few regulations in obviously about driving across the beach, but also using the coast path, that’s been shut as well,” said Richard.

“I think it’s just part of living on a coastline which is unstable. If they can put in sort of various things to stop it happening like on the Isle of Wight. But a lot depends on the value of the land as well.”

In the Welsh capital, Dr Jennifer Allan is a lecturer in global politics at Cardiff University.

She teaches students about the potential effects of climate change on Wales and the world. But she is unsure about how many voters will think about it in the polling booth.

“For voters, for everybody, climate change is sort of stealthy,” said Jennifer. “It’s one of those things that’s sort of slow and hidden sometimes.

“And it’s not until you see an emergency, or a major flood, or a heatwave that people start thinking about it. And of course those things don’t necessarily time with when an election might be happening.

“So it can be really hard for voters to remember climate change when they go to the ballot box.”

So what are the six main parties fighting for votes in the Senedd election promising on the environment?

The Welsh Greens say they will “build a cleaner greener economy that works with nature not against it”.

Welsh Labour say they will “build a greener Wales by cleaning up our rivers and seas.”

Plaid Cymru say they will “make a new Climate and Nature Action Plan.”

The Welsh Conservatives say they will “scrap Natural Resources Wales and replace it with an independent regulator.”

Reform UK Wales say they will also “abolish Natural Resources Wales and scrap net zero targets.”

And the Welsh Liberal Democrats say they will “lead Wales to net zero…making sure that no household is left behind in the transition.”

Ultimately, it is now down to us who we want to vote for, and there are less than two weeks to go before polling day on May 7th.

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