Issue 1176 - Monday, 22nd November

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gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Inside: Gair Rhydd breaks down the new 'Save a Dead' society scheme at the Students' Union (Page 12)

Gair Rhydd speaks to Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change Beth Williams News Editor

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s the COP26 summit drew to a close, Gair Rhydd had the opportunity to talk to the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters. On his way back to Wales, he discussed his experience at the summit, the impact of the climate crisis on Wales and why we should all play our part. GR: How was your experience at the summit? Lee Waters MS: We weren’t a part of the formal negotiations but we were all ready to learn and share. Wales are doing stuff that other countries are very interested in. Wales was pointed at several times for being a great example of what they call a sub-national government, for doing good. GR: What discussions did you take part in or listen to? Lee Waters MS: Two particular experiences stand out for me, personally. I met with a coffee grower from Uganda, in which Wales has supported through the Welsh Government’s Wales for Africa project, to plant trees and form a Fairtrade co-operative of coffee farmers. The frontline of the climate emergency is now directly affecting the slope hills in the Mbale region of Uganda. That was very powerful. I also met a tribal leader of an indigenous tribe from the rainforests of Brazil who are facing the direct impact of the way we’re using soy in animal foods. Their lands are being cleared by loggers for that. So two people who directly as a result of things that we are doing, are feeling the impact of climate change now. That made an impact on me. GR: Wales have just joined the Beyond gas and Oil Alliance. What exactly does that entail? Lee Waters MS: It’s a really important movement and we are one of the founding members of it. The idea is that it will grow and influence others. We’ve started off with ten members including Denmark, who are the biggest producer of oil in Europe. It’s a significant commitment for them to pledge to move away from oil and gas.

Wales has been leading the way with this agenda. We’ve banned franking a number of years ago and then we stopped issuing any new licences for coal. As part of this agreement, we’re saying that when the last coal and gas licences run out in 2035, we won’t be renewing any of them. That is significant. GR: Do you believe that COP26 has been a success? Lee Waters MS: We don’t know if the summit was a success yet. In terms of Wales’ point of view and my personal view before I arrived was whether the outcome of the summit was a success was out of our hands. We have no control over others. That doesn’t change what we do. We need to de-couple the negotiations and netzero targets as they are two separate things. Negotiations will continue, it’s permanent and works by consensus. Unless all 197 countries agree, there is no agreement. In practice, it means you move at the pace of the slowest and we can’t let our actions be determined by the pace of the slowest. It’s good it’s going on and I hope that positive things come out of it. There have already been positive announcements but our focus is on how we deliver the net-zero target in Wales because the science isn’t going to change. GR: How is climate change impacting on Wales? Lee Waters MS: We see it happening to us now. Climate change is locked into the atmosphere. We’re going to see sea levels rise by 0.5 meters, bearing in mind that most of the largest Welsh towns and cities are on the coast. That will have a real impact that we can’t stop so we need to learn how to adapt to that. We’ve been seeing more extreme weather, having wetter, wilder winters and hotter, dryer summers. That’s already killing people. So there are real impacts of climate change now and those are just going to get worse. To read Beth's full interview with Lee Waters MS on climate change and Wales' efforts at COP26, turn to page 3. 3

Article 16: The UK Government may be considering triggering Article 16 in order to suspend parts of the Northern Ireland Protocal. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr)

Will the UK consider triggering Article 16?

Ella Lloyd

Politics Editor

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here has been significant speculation that the UK may trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol before the end of November, due to ongoing difficulties in negotiations with the EU. Although Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, did welcome a ‘change in tone’ of negotiations after a meeting with the UK’s Brexit minister

Ymgyrch 'Free Britney' yn ennill Nel Richards

Pennaeth Taf-od

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r ol bron i 14 mlynedd o dan geidwadaeth, mae'r gantores wedi ei rhyddhau tad. Mae ‘Free Britney’ yn ymgyrch ar lawr gwlad a oedd yn brwydro i’w rhyddhau o’i gwarchodaeth. Fel mae llawer yn gwybod, cantores byd enwog yw Britney Spears sydd wedi cyrraedd y siartiau sawl gwaith - gyda phum sengl rhif 1, chwe albwm rhif 1, a 150 miliwn o recordiau wedi’u gwerthu ledled y byd, mae Britney yn cael ei hystyried gan Billboard fel yr wythfed artist mwyaf 2000-2010. I ddarllen erthygl lawn Nel ar gydgyfeiriant y canwr, trowch i dudalen 6 6

Lord David Frost on November 12. Triggering Article 16 would mean suspending parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, although it’s not clear which parts yet. The Article was written into the protocol for use in emergencies, and to prevent unnecessary suffering. The UK believes that the EU is taking too robust an approach to implementing the protocol, and that it is not sustainable in its current form. The EU refutes this claim, pointing out that the protocol isn’t even being enforced in

full yet due to extended grace periods, and that the UK agreed to the deal in full knowledge of how it would be implemented. Former government Advisor Dominic Cummings has suggested that the UK always intended to ‘ditch’ parts of the protocol which were disagreeable to them. To read Ella's article detailing the potential impacts of triggering 9 Article 16, turn to page 9.

Keeping motivated Wales beat Figi 38 - 23 in through Neurodiversity Autumn Internationals Alexandra Austin

Tom Hawkins

Contributor

Sport Editor

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he irony of writing a piece on motivation is not lost on me. Many people can find it difficult to keep themselves motivated. With 30 – 40% of the population falling within the neurodiverse umbrella, according to ADHD aware, many people need a little bit of extra help to keep motivated. The rise in cases of neurodiversity has seen many benefits in creating a world that is more user friendly to those of us that struggle. However, with more access to tools, apps, and easy to use methods, finding what works for you can be a ‘mind’ field. To read Alexandra's full article detailing how to keep motivated during mid-terms, turn to page 13.

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his weekend marked the third week of rugby's Autumn Internationals, where Wales faced a Fijian side looking to reinvent themselves and prove their durability against larger nations. The match proved entertaining for all and was a tight contest. It was the Fijians who got off to the better start, striking with their first attack as skipper Waisea Nayacalevu sprinted over the line after a slick move to score the first try of the game in the fourth minute. Ben Volavola converted this and a penalty shortly after giving Fiji a 10 - 0 lead. To read Tom's full breakdown of Wales' recent match against Figi, turn to page 20.

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