There is an irony to the fact that many Welsh communities are now threatened by the coal that has been dug up around them for centuries. This is the fuel that helped launch the Industrial Revolution and changed the world. At the same time, its combustion has played a key role in boosting amounts of carbon in the atmosphere to levels that have triggered global temperature rises to near 1.5C, propelling the UK – and the rest of the world – into a climate crisis.
Sea levels are rising, meaning our shores are being battered by higher, more destructive waves, while rainfall in Britain is intensifying, putting communities at real risk of devastation, as seen in Wales last week.
