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Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleCambridge University Engineers Association Annual Conference |
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Science and Engineering - Driving the Sustainability Revolution I am delighted to be here today as the guest of the University?s Engineering Association. The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for everyone in the UK, and the theme of sustainability that is the basis for this conference is, therefore, central to the our policy in many areas of the economy. Moreover, I believe that the key to our strategy on sustainability, in all areas, lies within the science and engineering base. I say this not simply because I am Minister for Science, but because I genuinely believe that it is science and engineering which will lead the way. The challenge of Sustainability Let me be clear what we mean by ?sustainable development?. The phrase has been in use for more than 20 years, and various definitions have been attempted, but what it is really about is combining social, economic and environmental goals to ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now, and for generations to come. By embracing sustainable development, this Government wants to see:
Sustainable development means getting more from less, turning waste into potential. It also means making more of less - as wealth creation and quality of life depend on environmental systems and natural resources. We are about to go through a sustainability revolution which will rival the impact of the agricultural and industrial revolutions of previous centuries in its impact upon society. This is why the Government has put the concept of sustainable development at the very heart of its policy with the publication earlier this year of the consultation paper on sustainable development Opportunities for Change. This exercise forms part of the Government?s plans for the creation of a new sustainable development strategy for the UK, which we intend to publish around the turn of the year. The Government sought a wide range of public views, to build consensus about the best ways forward for sustainable development. I am delighted that so many science and engineering professional bodies, and individuals actively engaged in science and engineering research, took the time to provide responses. I know that these views are now proving useful in the preparation of the new strategy. The Foresight Programme has an important role to play in bringing together people from business, the science base and Government to learn from each other, to create visions of the future and develop action plans to promote sustainable development. Sir Robert May will be speaking in detail about the role of Foresight later in the day. In the area of energy, the Government is already building on existing commitments to reduce emissions, and place environmental concerns at the centre of its policy. We are committed to a new and strong drive to develop renewable energy and have instigated a review to consider what would be necessary and practicable for renewables to provide 10% of the UK?s electricity needs by 2010. The review will also look at how renewables can make an effective contribution to meeting requirements for future greenhouse gas reductions. The outcome will be announced later this year. My colleague John Battle has also launched a consultation document on electricity generation using offshore wind. As one of the UK?s greatest and as yet untapped natural, sustainable and pollution-free resources, the Government is keen to explore how best the technology can be supported However, replacing existing fossil fuels with alternative sources of energy is only one aspect. It is important too that all of us, whether as purchasers or suppliers, should become more conscious of the environmental implications of the products we buy or supply, over their whole life-time from design to final disposal. That requires us to improve the way we act, recognising that some products may be more expensive to buy initially but of lower cost overall. New policy initiatives like the introduction of producer responsibility for products at the end of their life will help to make those hidden costs clearer - and will place a premium on improved engineering design to lower such costs. Sustainability and Industry Of course, sustainable development is already at the core of many of the new industries. We already have many world-class companies active in developing the technologies that will be needed to monitor and address national and international environmental problems. Let me give you just three examples in this region:
On a national scale, you may have seen in the papers recently that Britain?s AEA Technology is part of a consortium that has been awarded a $5million contract as part of the clean up the Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine. This is one of a burgeoning number of international nuclear contracts won by the company. Sustainability is and will be good business. There is potentially a much larger market for cleaner technologies and processes, and considerable projected growth in environmental consultancy. The UK is in the lead in integrated environmental management, and UK companies are leading the way in exporting environmental management systems. The sector covering environmental monitoring and instrumentation, water services and energy management already provides employment for over 225,000 people in the UK. The rapidly growing world market for environmental equipment and services is estimated at being around $280 billion in 1997 and is forecast to increase to $335 billion by 2000 and to $640 billion by 2010 (Source - JEMU). These are substantial markets, comparable globally to aerospace or pharmaceuticals. Let me give you a clear example of the international dimension from my recent visit to China. The Chinese Government has said that it wishes to encourage the development of renewable energy and to build up its own industry. The market there is projected to increase from some $2 billion a year now to $6 billion or higher over the next 10 to 15 years. China has significant renewable energy resources, particularly wind, solar and hydro, which are just waiting to be developed, and the authorities are putting in place a structured market which can become commercially self-sustaining. I believe that the UK, with its strengths in high quality technology, consultancy and project development is well placed to exploit this sort of international opportunity. I was delighted to be able to witness the signing of a collaborative agreement involving the Institution of Electrical Engineers and their counterpart in Beijing, while I was there. On the domestic front, John Prescott?s announcement on Wednesday that water companies must act to provide cleaner rivers, beaches and drinking water, whilst driving down the cost to customers, will be achieved in part by the development of new and cheaper waste management and environmental control technologies. I expect UK companies to benefit significantly from this. Of course, there are also many opportunities for those companies who improve their own environmental management to encompass the full range of the company?s operations. Eco-efficiency can simultaneously enhance both a company?s competitive and environmental performance. We will work together to help UK business exploit these huge opportunities in energy efficiency and waste management; the clean-up of other industries; new scientific and technological developments; and new markets in environmental technology and services. Success will require enhanced dialogue. Success will also require new partnerships between and within industry and government as well as between business and all its stakeholders. Rising to meet the challenge The challenges are clear. However, if we are to exploit the opportunities that sustainable development presents it is vital to have a strong and forward looking science and engineering base. That is why the Government is committed to maintaining the excellence of the science and engineering base, and the Comprehensive Spending Review has reversed the neglect of recent years. We were delighted to be able to announce a total of £1 billion of additional Government funds over the next three years, plus the unprecedented public private partnership with the Wellcome Trust who are to contribute £0.4 billion, making a total of £1.4 billion. Of this £600 million is specifically directed towards addressing fully and as quickly as possible the urgent research infrastructure problems within universities that has built up over the past decade. There is an additional £400 million of funding for high priority new programmes and the development of promising existing ones. and, in addition, £300 million of additional funding through the HEFCE for university research. The Government contribution alone will have the result, in real terms, of increasing the 2001-02 Science Budget by some 15% above its level this year. In percentage terms this increase equals or surpasses all other areas of public finance, including education and health. Sustainability and young people Any financial investment, however large, is meaningless without people. Our science and engineering base will never fulfil its full potential if we fail to attract sufficient of our brightest and best young people to choose science and engineering as a career. I am sure you are all too painfully aware of the problems which exist in maintaining the supply of well qualified and motivated scientists, engineers and technicians which are required to for the UK to compete effectively in world markets. The reasons for this are many and varied, and I do not intend to list them here. However, I do believe that in the concept of sustainable development we have a new, powerful and attractive image to present to our young people. It provides a real opportunity to counteract the damaging negative images surrounding science and engineering which have gained such a considerable foothold in the popular imagination. We have to hammer home the message that it is engineers and scientists that are the problem solvers and not, as the media are wont to suggest, the cause of the problems. For example it will be scientists and engineers that will develop the technologies to exploit alternative sources of energy with much less environmental impact than current ways of exploiting fossil fuels. As this is the Annual Conference of the University?s Engineers Association, I would like to expand further on this theme with particular reference to promoting engineering as a career. There have been several recent initiatives which have aimed at challenging the negative public perception of engineering, the most notable being Action for Engineering. While this made significant progress in addressing the problem, and promoted significant collaboration within the engineering community, there still remains a continuing need to attract more people into the profession. Young people are passionate about the protection of the environment. We need to tap into this enthusiasm, cut through the media stereotyping, and present engineering as a rewarding career, which can, and does, make a contribution to improving the quality of life, not only for us here in the UK, but in the developing world as well. Some of you may know that an ambitious five-year campaign to continue the work of previous initiatives, was launched under the Quinco banner in July. Quinco?s mission is To ensure that Engineering makes the fullest possible contribution to the nation?s wealth and quality of life. The initiative, which is supported by industry, the major professional engineering institutions and the Engineering Council, is primarily concerned with altering perceptions amongst young people and those who influence them in order to stimulate the flow of our brightest and best people into the profession. I should perhaps declare a personal interest in that the Sainsbury Charitable Foundation has supported considerable work with this aim in mind. The Government recognises the need for such an initiative and supports the kind of collaborative effort which Quinco is proposing. We have encouraged those concerned to place sustainable development at the heart of their plans and I am pleased to know that they have done so. Engineering suffers, at least as much as most other areas (and more than most) from an intense and destructive factionalism. We are encouraging the Quinco Board to work closely with existing providers when developing their detailed Plans and, in particular, when considering the type of projects they would wish to promote. This is of particular importance when considering the regional dimension of the initiative. I am pleased to know that Quinco and SETNET will have mutual observer status on each others? Boards. (In case any of you do not know, SETNET is a joint venture company that DTI has helped to set up. Its role is to provide a series of local SETPOINTS that provide co-ordinated advice and access to the myriad of schemes intended to encourage the young to enter engineering.). I am pleased to note that Cambridge has its very own SETPOINT located at the Manor Community College. Let me encourage any of you who are not associated with your nearest SETPOINT or aware of Quinco?s plans, to make contact with them. The central SETNET freephone number is 0800 146415. Closing remarks As I draw to a close, I would like to offer a note of reassurance to those in the business community who are concerned about the short-term implications of this drive for sustainability on their international competitiveness. The competitiveness of British industry and commerce is a central concern of my Department and of the Government. Indeed, it is arguably the central concern. We recognise that it is not always easy to persuade customers to purchase on the basis of life-cycle costs especially when the up-front capital cost is greater. We believe there is a need to educate customers and we are prepared to help to do so. But we do not subscribe to the notion that sustainability will inevitably result in a loss of competitiveness. The opportunities are there, and if we act quickly enough, we are well placed to seize them. A world class science base combined with engineering excellence is a very powerful combination. I therefore urge the scientific and engineering community to put sustainability at the very heart of their efforts. Not only is this the RIGHT way ahead for the world, but it also offers huge potential returns for UK industry. It will allow science and engineering an opportunity to reposition themselves in the eyes of the British public and future generations. Earlier this year the Institution of Chemical Engineers published a report ?Future Life? that demonstrated just this point. I am sure all of you have seen it by now. If not you should, and you should be challenging the organisations of which you are a part and asking what they are doing to tackle this vital issue. |
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Other speeches by Lord Sainsbury of Turville
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