PLAID Cymru leader Adam Price singled out Machynlleth for praise over its “worldwide impact” having called a climate emergency.

Mr Price was giving his reaction to a national “climate strike” which saw school children and students across the country walk out of lessons to demand more government action on climate change issues.

And the Plaid leader said action taken in Machynlleth last year, which saw an online petition leading to the town council declaring a state of “climate emergency”, was an example of how community action could have a “global impact”.

“The small town of Machynlleth in Mid Wales has been one of the very few towns in the world to declare a climate emergency, with ambition to make its buildings eco-friendly, encourage renewable energy developments and ensure its pension funds are divested from fossil fuels,” he said.

“What got Machynlleth to make the commitment? It was a petition signed by 500 local people; a small community-sized step with a worldwide impact.”

Friday, March 15, saw schoolchildren stage demonstrations under the clock tower in Machynlleth, while other climate strike action also took place in Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells. Students from North Powys joined others in a protest in Shropshire.

Mr Price said he would have joined the strikes if he was still a pupil.

“If I were a school pupil today I would be striking against climate change and would make sure the whole school was striking with me,” he added.

“The reason couldn’t be simpler: time is running out.

“Time is running out to make the changes to our way of life, how we produce and use energy, how we travel around this Earth, how we build and warm our homes, how we use our natural resources.

“What I’ve seen so clearly by these school strikers so far is that from speaker after speaker, young person after young person there is such an outpouring of eloquence, of vision, of positivity.

“To follow their lead means that we can’t wait until Westminster wakes up. We all must be brave.”