‘Sustainable Development in Wales – what happens next? One Voice Wales 2012 Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE (Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness)
The systems approach
Key Sustainability Drivers In Wales ’ • a constitutional commitment to sustainable development • Climate Change Commission with targets of 3% greenhouse gas emission reductions p.a • Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) statutory part of Welsh curriculum • Wales for Africa programme
SD: the definition • The Brundtland definition of 'Sustainable Development' from 'Our Common Futures' 1987 World Commission on the Environment and Development • "..development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ” • - the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and • - the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."
SD: the Welsh indicators: 'One Wales, One Planet' is the Government's current sustainable development scheme (2009) • It has 5 high level indicators: • Economic output: GVA and GVA per head • Social: % population in low income households, • Environmental: biodiversity conservation • Ecological footprint:(what Wales consumes) and • Well being: physical and mental health
SD: the political commitment: " a sustainable Wales to become a ‘one planet’ nation by putting sustainable development at the heart of government; creating a resilient and sustainable economy that lives within its environmental limits and only using our fair share of the earth’s resources to sustain our lifestyles."
SD: legislative commitment • Legislate to make sustainable development the central organising principle of the Welsh Government and public bodies in Wales. • Create an independent sustainable development body for Wales. • First consultation just finished • White Paper consultation Autumn 2012
SD: International context • Rio +20 conference: • Institutional framework for sustainable development • Millennium Development Goals to become Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 • Green economy in context of SD and poverty eradication;
Outcome of SD: economic, social & environmental wellbeing
Why a new duty and why now ? • We need to think and deliver differently if we are to meet existing and future challenges; • Design and build organisations, infrastructure and public services which will serve us for the long term; • Identify and deal with the root causes of issues; • Deliver in ways which are thought through, joined up and offer what people need; • Integrate and balance the need for a strong economy, a strong Welsh culture and society, and a robust environment;
The proposed SD duty (1) • SD behaviours: “the way we would expect organisations delivering public services to do business if everything they did were collectively influenced by sustainable development thinking ” • Long-term thinking; • Integration; • Working across organisational boundaries; • Focussing on prevention; • Engagement and involvement.
The proposed SD duty (2) • SD objectives: “ the objectives at the heart of SD that must inform higher level decisions” • the wellbeing of people and communities should be enhanced; • social justice and equality for all should be promoted; • the vibrancy of the economy should be promoted; • environmental limits should be respected; • healthy, functioning ecosystems should be promoted; • cultural legacy should be strengthened; • healthy living should be enabled; • the interests of future generations’ should be recognised; • people should be involved in the decisions that affect their lives.
Where should the duty “bite”? • Higher level decisions: “ decisions that are adopted by an organisation with the intent that they should influence the way an organisation delivers services, allocates resources, procures services, provides financial assistance and manages its estate”. • Longer term strategies (more than one year) • Annual plans • General or subject-specific policies
How should the duty “bite”? • Higher level decisions should be required to have more than regard to sustainable development principles. • SD behaviours: higher level decisions to be reached in a way that is consistent with SD behaviours • SD objectives: higher level decisions to be consistent with SD objectives
How should compliance be reported? • Organisations should be transparent and accountable in the way that they have responded to the duty; • Requiring organisations to report within their existing annual reporting requirements on how higher level decisions comply with the SD duty.
Which bodies should be covered? Indicative list: organisations which make a very clear contribution to people’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing: • • Higher Education Funding Welsh Government; Council for Wales; • Local Unitary Authorities in • Wales; Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales; • National Health Service Trusts • and Local Health Boards; Public Health Wales; • • Arts Council of Wales; Higher and Further Education organisations in Wales; • Sports Wales; • New single body • Amgueddfa Cymru National • National Park Authorities in Museum Wales; Wales; • National Library of Wales; • Town and Community Councils.
New SD body • Ombudsman type role: existing organisations already act as advocates for a specific cause or investigate individual grievances against public sector organisations; • Scrutiny role : Auditor General for Wales having a formal role in undertaking SD examinations in public sector; • Expert advice and guidance role: new SD body.
5 key themes from ESDGC Action Plan • Links between society, economy, environment and between our lives and those of people throughout the world; • Needs and rights of both present and future generations; • Relationship between power, resources & human rights; • Local and global implications of everything we do; and • The actions that individuals and organisations can take in responding to local and global issues.
The systems approach
INSPIRE will • support the development of the area as a low carbon region, • develop specific sustainability practice in a rural setting • develop cross-society exemplars of sustainability in practice • influence the practice of the current and new institution • support development of the ESDGC agenda in Wales • develop partnerships with other organisations/institutions with a similar agenda
Evidence base A report Leadership Skills for a Sustainable Economy commissioned by Business in the Community (BITC 2010) shows that over 90% of businesses already recognise these skills are a critical business issue, and 80% think there is an urgent need to put more programmes in place:
Graduate attributes (1) • able to appreciate the importance of environmental, social and political contexts to their studies; • able to solve or ameliorate real life problems through employing holistic as well as reductionist approaches, as appropriate to the issue; • able to think creatively, holistically, and systemically and make critical judgements on issues; • able to develop a high level of self-reflection at a personal and professional level;
Graduate attributes (2) • able to understand, critically evaluate and adopt thoughtfully sustainability values; • able to apply theory to practice and vice versa; • able to work collaboratively and work in interdisciplinary teams; • able to initiate and manage change that supports sustainable development in personal, institutional and social contexts develop and apply a broad and balanced knowledge of sustainable development
One Voice Wales already working with • Cynnal Cymru on ‘Strong Roots’ • Aberystwyth University on research study re economic development and community energy • Welsh Gov’t SSL grant focused on research to identify councils’ adaptation role and initiating behaviour change
SD as competitive advantage • rising public interest and global concern over sustainability-related issues; • Government and funding council mandate and expectations including carbon management; • links to employability and views of employers; • profession’s requirements; ; • links made between corporate social responsibility and sustainability; • financial savings made by better environmental practices;
One Voice Wales 2012 • If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always had” Mark Twain • “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” Charles Darwin
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