The blog is back after a month’s gap – a rather strange COVID and climate affected month in which we have seen the best harvest (following that very warm May) and the worst winds and rain we’ve ever seen in August which led to much of our apples, pears and walnut harvest ripped from their trees before time. We’ve successfully incubated 6 new Aylesbury ducklings – who like teenagers are itching to be let out - and have new pigs and turkeys. The garden is looking fantastic, but our annual party is cancelled and we are in fact currently in self isolation. We’ve seen more visitors than ever before to our usually quiet corner of beautiful west Wales with traffic bedlam as small roads leading to dead ends do not lend themselves to passing or responsible carparking.
This week, it is a very varied group. The Vice Chancellor of my own university, Prof Medwin Hughes, opines that ‘A creative, sustainable future requires us to seek the truth and curate a narrative that will allow others an opportunity to reshape humanity for the better’. He is followed by another university colleague, Barry Liles, who chairs the Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSBs)– the new statutory partnerships required by the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act. Dr Oliver Balch, journalist, is as excited by the opportunities as I am; ‘A country that is fit for future generations is something that every citizen can unite around, something every community can pursue, something every school can pass on to its pupils. Instil that narrative in the heart of every citizen and the Act is already halfway delivered.’. But, as I’ve found to my cost, over the years, the ambition and engagement can be there, but delivery still needs leadership and community participation ; a view clearly articulated by Victoria Watkins, from Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University. Finally, this week, the eponymous Mal Williams, from the Zero Waste International Trust lays out clearly how the Zero Waste agenda contributes to all the Act’s goals. Enjoy.
This week, we hear some wide-ranging views from Jake Elster Jones, a sustainability focused researcher who sees the opportunity for the Act as providing ‘more appropriate tools, approaches and ways of thinking – and sets a new purpose – for the systems we work in.’ Eifion Williams, CEO of Circular Economy Wales, sees the Act as an opportunity to build resilience, as ‘resilient communities are not only in control of their resources, but also their food and energy systems and of course the wealth that all this activity generates.’ Simon Hoffman, from the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University sees the opportunity for ‘human rights outcomes as the ultimate expression of progress on well-being in Wales would not only strengthen the WFGA, it would also bring additional coherence to public policy. Catriona Williams, CEO of Children in Wales, while supporting the act in principle, also sees ‘ one major challenge and that is how not to lose the child-rights approach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child within the ‘all age’ structure of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act’. This theme of rights is continued further with the contribution from Helen Dale, Coordinator, Lleisiau Bach, Little Voices which works with young people of primary school age who calls for a ‘national representation of younger children’s views to contribute as citizens in Wales on issues that affect them.’
This week we hear from 3 people who have also been involved closely with the development of the agenda in Wales, through their day job: Mari Arthur and Rhodri Thomas, both from Cynnal Cymru/Sustain Wales, and Michael Palmer, who led on the work in the Wales Audit Office and who also spent time seconded to the Future Generations’ Commissioner’s office. They are champions who have clear ideas about next steps.
Today, we hear from some of the most significant contributors to the debate over the whole period: Alan Netherwood who has tracked the sustainable development agenda in Wales from its onset and is still doing so; Anne Meikle and Jessica McQuade from WWF, the most significant individual contributor organisation to the Welsh journey, particularly from its publication of the visionary ‘One Planet Wales’ in 2007 and George Marshall from Climate Outreach who undertook the first national environmental narratives project of its kind - now replicated around the world - developing a bilingual toolkit of distinct Welsh narratives and images for sustainability and climate change to support the legislation. Finally, last but very much not least, the eponymous Andy Middleton, who has challenged me and others at every available opportunity to do more and faster.
Please forgive this standard introduction to people who are coming new to my blog for the first time. I intend to use my website as a repository for information linked to my #futuregen book, so hopefully it will become a resource to campaigners and activists as well as policy professionals and parliamentarians. The book itself contains the links to documentary resources covering the journey from the start of the National Assembly in 1999 to the passing of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act in 2015 and its subsequent implementation.
I intend to use my website as a repository for information linked to the book, so hopefully it will become a resource to campaigners and activists as well as policy professionals and parliamentarians. The book itself contains the links to documentary resources covering the journey from the start of the National Assembly in 1999 to the passing of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act in 2015 and its subsequent implementation. Each of my blogs will put full quotations from contributors into the public domain. I will notify the specific contributors when this happens and feed back to you directly if I receive any comments linked to your contributions.
It’s happened. 4th June has passed and I can legitimately call myself an author. #futuregen is now at the mercy of the book-buying public but helped enormously on its way by all those who contributed (140 of you) and the number of events and publications about it in the week running up to its launch which I am reliably informed by the organisers exceeded 10,000. A big thank you to the Hay festival, The Bookseller, Business Wales, Tortoise Media, RSA, SOIF, Big Issue, A Great Read, IWA, i magazine, Network News, Cardiff University, University of South Wales and my own University of Wales Trinity Saint David for maximising its exposure.
Confident of cross-party support across both The House of Commons and the House of Lords, I am bringing a Future Generations Bill to the UK Parliament. In imitation of the Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act, and inspired by Wales’ example, I am convinced it is the most useful piece of legislation imaginable. It is inspiring because it brings the future forward to today.
Hopi Indians of North America believe that “before you take any action, meditate for a moment and think, ‘what will be the impact of your action on the seventh generation to come?’ If the answer is positive and if in your heart you genuinely think that your action will be beneficial to the seventh generation then act.
