Obviously Ammi Kaur-Dhaliwal, the Green candidate, had a lot to say on this issue, including pointing out that the Greens have been talking about this for the past fifty years, and the main parties are only now starting to think seriously about it. She talked about giving rivers legal rights, in the same way that businesses have them now [this has been done successfully in other parts of the world]. Also on the subject of legislation, she mentioned the Rights of Nature Act, which would restore 30% of our land and water back to nature. There is also a need for research and development funding, and she was appreciative of citizen science, and the need to talk to the people who are actually studying the problems.
David Chadwick for the Lib Dems approached the theme from a farming point of view, talking about more subsidies to encourage farmers to work with nature, and the need to work with farmers. The Liberal Democrats want to achieve Net Zero by 2045, as the time for action is running out.
Matthew Dorrance, for Labour, mentioned the Australian Food Deal, agreed by the government after Brexit, which is worrying local farmers. They believe their prices will be undercut by the deal. He also talked about ensuring that 50% of food bought by the public sector should be from local sources.
Fay Jones, for the Conservatives, described their policy of lengthening the deadlines to act on the climate crisis as "pragmatic". This would include replacing boilers in homes, and older cars. She talked about the need to bring climate deniers along with the changes that are necessary by education - Ammi Kaur-Dhaliwal agreed with this, and thought that presenting the facts about climate change in a rational way would change hearts and minds.
On the subject of the River Wye, Fay Jones talked about the work she has been doing on cross-border co-operation between the different agencies and authorities involved. One of the big problems for the River Wye is the phosphate pollution from intensive chicken farming, and she mentioned a pilot scheme on a farm near Builth Wells. The chicken manure is fed to flies, which are then ground up to make animal food.
Matthew Dorrance welcomed the announcement of bathing status for the Warren. He also talked about enforcing tough measures against polluters, and taking away bonuses from the people in the companies responsible for pollution.
David Chadwick said that Ofwat needs 60 extra staff as an emergency measure, and 240 more staff for the agency to work properly to protect rivers. He also wanted to see representatives from environmental groups sitting on the directors' boards of water companies.
Most people seemed to be against wind turbines, apart from Labour, which has a policy of encouraging offshore wind farms.
All the candidates were concentrating on local solutions to the climate crisis, so none of them really answered the question from Françoise and Pierre quoting the UN and pointing out that global warming is already heading for 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial norm, and the next eighteen months are crucial for our response to that. Drastic measures need to be taken, and that means a lot more than trying to educate climate deniers or encouraging sustainable farming.
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