Wales’ First Minister and Labour candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, Eluned Morgan hosted a live Facebook Q&A focused on the environment, taking questions from people across Wales on issues ranging from river pollution and renewable energy to recycling, farming and animal welfare.

The session, part of a series of weekly public Q&As ahead of the Senedd election, saw strong engagement from viewers raising both practical concerns and wider questions about fairness, climate change and the future of Wales’ natural environment.

Opening the discussion, Ms Morgan said: “People care deeply about this – whether it’s our rivers, our wildlife, or how we move towards cleaner energy. And what came through clearly is that people don’t just want big promises – they want to know what’s actually being done and what will make a real difference.”

The Labour candidate for Ceredigion Penfro pointed to Wales’ strong record, including becoming one of the top recycling nations in the world, action on single use plastics, investment in nature restoration and stronger protections for animal welfare.

But she was clear that more needs to be done: “People are right to push us – on water quality, on enforcement, on fairness. That’s why Welsh Labour is going further, with a Clean Water Bill, stronger regulation, and real action to crack down on those damaging our rivers and seas.”

She also highlighted the growing impact of climate change: “This isn’t something in the future - it’s already happening. Flooding, storms, pressure on infrastructure. We’ve protected over 52,000 properties, but we have to get ahead of this...not just react.”

Eluned emphasised that the transition to a greener Wales must also deliver for communities:“This is about jobs as well as the environment – clean energy, nature restoration, flood defence, but those jobs need to be local, and the benefits need to stay in our communities.”

The Labour leader drew a clear distinction between Welsh Labour’s approach and opposition proposals.

She continued: “I understand why people are looking at parties like the Greens – because the climate and nature emergencies are real, but ambition on its own isn’t enough - it has to be matched by plans that actually work, because the climate emergency is too serious for plans that don’t add up.”

She warned that some proposals risk slowing progress: “The Greens set out big ambitions – but too often without clear, practical plans for how they’re delivered and if you don’t have that delivery plan, you risk slowing progress. rather than speeding it up.”

On energy, she challenged Plaid Cymru’s position:“If we’re serious about clean energy, we have to be honest about what that takes. Plaid’s position on ruling out pylons might sound attractive, but undergrounding can cost several times more. That cost ends up on people’s bills, or investment simply goes elsewhere.“You can’t say you want to accelerate renewable energy and then oppose the infrastructure needed to deliver it.”

Eluned said Welsh Labour’s approach is rooted in delivery. “We’ve shown we can take action – cutting waste, restoring nature, tackling pollution and protecting communities. This is about plans that stand up, add up, and actually make a difference,” she added.

The full Q&A is available to watch back on Eluned Morgan’s official Facebook page at: https://fb.watch/Gx0l9WdjbG/