Citizens Assembly Weekend 3 Sustainability Advocacy session - PDF document

Citizens Assembly – Weekend 3 Sustainability Advocacy session Convener’s presentation – Kate Wimpress Last time we met, you prioritised 22 statements that represent the common ground on the kind of country you are seeking to build. You may recall that one of the highest ranked statements for us to explore together at future weekends is : [SLIDE] “The kind of Scotland we are seeking to build will be a sustainable coun try balancing environmental, economic and social impacts for the good of the country and its citizens” So our work this afternoon will be all about sustainability. Then tomorrow morning we’ll think about how this statement connects with our constitutional options. We’ll be getting to work on an answer to question 2 of the Assembly remit, which is: Page 1 of 14

How best can we overcome the challenges Scotland and the world face in the 21st century, including those arising from Brexit? You will hear from three speakers with three different perspectives on how we can become a more sustainable country that balances our environmental, economic and social impacts. The speakers will pitch their positions to you outlining the choices and trade-offs associated with their perspectives. There are some hard choices which will require to be considered. I hope their pitches will give you food for thought to help you consider priorities for action in this area going forward. Each speaker has prepared a more detailed paper outlining their position in full. These are on the website and there are some copies on your table. After that there will be a panel discussion which I will chair and then an opportunity for you to ask questions to the speakers. You will have a chance to deliberate on these matters to identify what you think are the key challenges, opportunities and priorities for action to make Scotland a sustainable country. In the Sunday session, your priorities will be considered in relation to our current constitutional arrangements. Page 2 of 14

Is it just me or does it feel like as an Assembly we are moving into new and exciting territory here? I am really looking forward to what we develop together on this. But before I introduce you to our speakers, I’d like to return to your statement. There really is a lot in this. I am so impressed by the integrity and level of ambition in this statement, and by the huge challenge it lays down to the country as a whole. It’s wonderful to see that social, environmental and economic issues are all important to you, but as you say, the crux of this is achieving the balance between the three. As with all areas of life, we will have to make hard choices to get where we want to go. I was also struck by how your statement reflected the wider range of statements that you produced last weekend. This is perhaps not surprising given what is currently in the news at present and the challenges facing Scotland and the world. Some of those challenges are reflected in this short video. [INSERT VIDEO CLIP] Page 3 of 14

So we know the importance of becoming a sustainable country but what does this mean? In its broadest meaning of the word, sustainability is ‘ the ability to exist constantly’. A sustainable country is one which can meet the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability refers to three distinct areas: environmental, economic and social - known as the three pillars of sustainability. In your statement you neatly identified this balance. The first pillar, environmental sustainability, is about protecting and maintaining environmental resources for future generations. This includes the long-term health of our ecosystems, species diversity, renewable energy resources and preventing the consequences of man-made global warming. What does this mean to you ? The slide shows a few of the statements written by individually by you to craft the priority statement . These range from “Put the Page 4 of 14

environment above all else” to “be ambitious and aggressive in combating climate change”. [SLIDE] So what about our second pillar? Economic sustainability is about making sure economic growth produces fair outcomes for everyone; and we don’t c onsume more resources than the earth has to offer. Related to economic sustainability is the idea of ‘inclusive growth’ [SLIDE] This is “growth that combines increased prosperity with greater equality, creates opportunities for all, and distributes the benefits of increased prosperity fairly. ” It’s a principle the Scottish Government is committed to. They aim to achieve this by promoting fair work and good-quality jobs, tackling inequality, and changing the dynamics of Scotland's cities, wider regions and rural areas to make sure success and opportunity is shared across the whole of Scotland. Our speakers will explore this in more detail. Page 5 of 14

[SLIDE] What does this mean toyou? Here on the slide are just a few of the statements written by individual members used to craft your priority statements. These range from “eradicate in work poverty” to “have a greater and stronger state pension”. The third pillar is social sustainability. This is about people and how we create socially sustainable communities -- equal, diverse, connected, democratic and with a good quality of life. A challenge in achieving social sustainability is tackling inequality. [SLIDE] From the 353 individual statements you put forward last time, I was struck by the vast number of statements that picked up on this theme. A quick search of ‘equal’, ‘fair’ and ‘poverty’ alone finds around 80 statements highlighting this one issue. Some of which have been drawn out in the slide, including “eradicate poverty in all forms” and “free equal educational opportunities for all”. Page 6 of 14

Although this is traditionally how sustainability is viewed some commentators don’t consider the economy as an equal pillar but more of a subset of both society and the environment which I understand Katherine will touch on in her presentation. Now turning to what Scotland’s approach to sustainability is. In 2015, the countries of the United Nations signed up to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -- a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. As the then UN Sec retary General put it “We don’t have a plan B because there is no planet B. ” [SLIDE] As part of this the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action – they set out 17 ambitious goals underpinned by 169 specific targets that all UN nations are expected to achieve by 2030. The goals are on your table and the slide. You should see a commonality with your 22 statements about the country you are seeking to build. Page 7 of 14

Scotland was one of the first countries to commit to the SDGs, as they are known, in 2015. In signing Scotland up to the SDGs the Scottish Government made a bold statement of intent not just to the people of Scotland but also to the world. The SDGs require to be adopted locally, for example, by each country involved. In Scotland they are adopted through the National Performance Framework (NPF) which have placed the SDG’s at its heart. You might remember that the NPF was briefly touched upon in the context of our consideration of wellbeing last weekend. That was some time ago so as a reminder, the NPF is Scotland’s wellbeing framework. You may have seen this at the reception where we have a beautifully illustrated version that you may want to colour in! [SLIDE] Page 8 of 14

It sets out a shared vision for the kind of country we want to be and provides a platform for collaboration across Scotland’s civic society, including public and private sectors, voluntary organisations, businesses and communities. It is based on delivering outcomes that improve the quality of life for the people of Scotland. I am struck by how similar the values at the heart of the NPF, kindness, dignity, compassion, reflect that values that you identified as an Assembly which were important to the country you want to build The reason for revisiting the NPF is because of its importance in helping Scotland to become a more sustainable country. It is clear that working in partnership is critical to achieving both the National Outcomes in the NPF and the Sustainable Development Goals, as Goal 17 highlights. No one organisation, including government national and local, can achieve the ambitions alone. Page 9 of 14