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The Government's main sustainable development website
is at
www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.
There you will find the Government's sustainable development strategy,
A better quality of life, and copies of the first, second
and third Government annual reports, Achieving a better quality
of life, covering 2000, 2001 and 2002.
The website reports on progress by the United Kingdom as a whole
towards sustainable development, and is regularly updated.
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Ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations
to come lies at the heart of the Government's sustainable development
strategy. A widely-used international definition is 'development which
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs'. Although the idea is simple,
the task is substantial. It means meeting four objectives at the same
time, in the UK and the world as a whole:
- social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
- effective protection of the environment;
- prudent use of natural resources; and
- maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
Regularly updated sustainable development news is available on the Government's
main sustainable development website at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/eac-wssd/progress.htm
"WSSD one year on - from
words to action", an update on progress, was published on this
web site on 27 August 2003 - see also www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/eac-wssd/progress.htm
The Government Annual Report 2002 - Achieving a better quality
of life, reviewing the progress of the UK towards sustainable
development has now been published. In 'a better quality of life', the
Strategy for Sustainable development for the UK (1999), the Government
made a commitment to report annually on progress towards sustainable development
in the UK as a whole. See http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/ar2002/index.htm
This report the third in the series, sets out progress made in 2002.
In addition to bringing together the latest data available up to the end
of 2002 on the 15 headline indicators which comprise the 'quality of
life barometer' and highlighting the main strategic developments in
2002, it also contains a wide range of case studies showing some of the
cross-cutting action being carried out across the UK to further sustainable
development.
The report was launched on Monday 24 February, with the Sustainable Development
Commission (SDC) hosting a live web cast - including speeches from the
Prime Minister and SDC Chair, Jonathon Porritt.
A copy of the Secretary
of State's speech is available. A copy of the Prime Minister's speech
is available at www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page3073.asp
- see also this No.
10 press release.
An on-demand version of the live webcast is available - see http://events.simplywebcast.com/sdc_feb_2003/index.html.
Government response to the Environmental Audit Committee Fourth Report
(2001-02): Measuring the Quality of Life: The 2001 Sustainable Development
Headline Indicators. This response was published on 6 November 2002.
The response reinforced the Government's commitment to reporting progress
towards sustainable development, particularly through the set of headline
indicators. An electronic copy of the response is available at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.
Printed copies are available from The Stationery Office (0870 600 5522
/ book.orders@tso.co.uk), price
£3.50.
Regional quality of life counts: the latest regional versions
of the indicators of sustainable development were published on 10 July
2003, providing updated regional figures and analysis for 14 of the 15
headline indicators, for each of the English Government Office Regions.
This News Release contains details;
see also this accompanying Statistical
Release; the report itself is available on the main Sustainable
Development web site.
See also:
 From
26 August to 4 September 2002, World leaders met in Johannesburg. The
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) marked the 10-year anniversary
of the Rio Earth Summit.
Information including links to other relevant web sites, and a copy of
the UK Government brochure on WSSD, Reaching the Summit, is on
the WSSD pages on the www.sustainable-development.gov.uk
web site. The official United Nations web site is at www.johannesburgsummit.org.
Margaret Beckett's Statement following the Summit is available
here. A further Defra news article (11 September) referring to an
article by Mrs Beckett in the Guardian is available
here.
An update on progress
was published on 27 August 2003 - see also www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/eac-wssd/progress.htm.
Government response to the Environment Audit Committee's (EAC)
report on UK preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD): On 24 July Margaret Beckett presented this response to
Parliament. In March the EAC had called on Mrs. Beckett, the Deputy Prime
Minister, John Prescott, Claire Short, Secretary of State for International
Development and other interested groups to give evidence on UK preparations
for WSSD. Following the session in which Margaret Beckett gave oral evidence,
the EAC published a report which contained a number of recommendations.
The Government's Response to the Environmental Audit Committee Third Report
(2001-02): UK Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
provides a detailed reply to the issues raised in the EAC's report. The
response has been published on the Sustainable Development web site and
can be accessed via
this link. Information on the EAC Inquiry is available via
this link.
International Financial Institutions report: As a potential
input into preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development,
a report, "International Financial Institutions - Enhancing their
role in promoting sustainable development" was published. This
is a report of a workshop which was commissioned by the UK's Department
of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO) in order to generate insights about the role of International
Financial Institutions (IFIs) in promoting sustainable development. It
was put together by Brian Pearce, Director of the Centre For Sustainable
Investment, and Paul Ekins, Associate Director of Forum for the Future
and can be found on
the main Sustainable Development web site.
Defra leads on sustainable development policy across government, but
as the four key objectives illustrate, it is not a policy that can be
delivered by a single department. All departments' policies have impacts
on the Government's social, economic and environmental goals to a greater
or lesser extent. Defra Minister Elliot Morley is the Minister responsible
for Sustainable Development in Government. Defra's Aim and Objectives
- www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/aims/index.htm
- put sustainable development at the heart of the Department. Defra's
Sustainable Development Strategy, "Foundations
for our Future", published on 18 June 2002, sets out the principles
and processes, which are necessary to make sustainable development a reality
within Defra.
Providing a better quality of life for all, now and for generations to
come, is at the heart of the Government's new £287 billion spending
plans that were announced on 15 July. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
the Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP said: "Sustainable development is a
challenge for us all and cannot be delivered by governments alone. But
this Government recognises the importance of showing leadership on sustainable
development, at home and internationally. The significant additional resources
provided in this Spending Review for the delivery of a better quality
of life for all demonstrate that leadership." More information
on the 2002 spending review can be found via the HM Treasury website
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Spending_Review/spend_sr02/spend_sr02_index.cfm
Elliot Morley chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers, ENV(G),
whose terms of reference are, "to consider the impact on sustainable
development of government policies; to improve the performance of Departments
in contributing to sustainable development; and to report as necessary
to ENV Committee". All Departments are represented on the committee
and, as well as their collective role, individual Green Ministers act
as champions of sustainable development in their own Department. See:
Sustainable
Development in Government
In April 2001, the Sustainable
Development Research (SDR) Network was officially established
for the UK. The SDR-Network is sponsored by the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) and
is co-ordinated by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), in association
with the Centre for Sustainable Development (CfSD) at the University of
Westminster and the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change and Sustainability
(CECS) at the University of Edinburgh.
The SDU has also commissioned the following projects:
As proposed in the Government's 1999 Sustainable Development Strategy,
A Better Quality of Life, the government has established the
Sustainable Development
Commission, subsuming the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development
and the British Government Panel on Sustainable Development. It did so
jointly with the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and
the Northern Ireland Executive. Defra provides day-to-day sponsorship.
The Sustainable Development Commission's remit is to advocate sustainable
development across all sectors of the UK, particularly within government
(including the Devolved Administrations) and build consensus on the actions
needed if further progress is to be achieved. Its specific objectives
are to:
- Identify key unsustainable trends which will not be reversed on the
basis of current or planned action, and recommend action to reverse
the trends;
- Act as a critical friend to government in appraising its performance
in delivering sustainable development;
- Establish good working relationships with key parts of government
in promoting sustainable development;
- Deepen awareness of the concept of sustainable development within
key sectors, increase awareness of the issues it raises, and build agreement
on how to address them;
- Encourage and stimulate good practice
The Trade Union Sustainable Development
Advisory Committee (TUSDAC) was set up in 1998. TUSDAC is the
main forum for consultation with trade unions on policy which aims to
enable constructive dialogue with Government on sustainable development
and other related environmental issues; to provide a trade union perspective
on the employment consequences of climate change, and the response to
it; and to help mobilise the trade union movement to become involved in
the move towards better environmental practice in the workplace.
TUSDAC meets three times a year (March, July and November) and is presently
co-chaired by Lord Whitty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Lords) for Food,
Farming and Sustainable Energy, and John Edmonds, Former General Secretary
of the GMB.
All regions have prepared Regional Sustainable Development Frameworks,
overarching documents which inform all other strategies and policies at
the regional level. They are prepared by a range of bodies at the regional
level, including Government Offices, Regional Development Agencies and
Regional Chambers. Regional Frameworks are an important link between sustainable
development at the local and national levels. The Sustainable Development
Unit (SDU) has policy responsibility for Regional Sustainable Development
Frameworks.
See: Guidance on preparing
Regional Sustainable Development Frameworks
At the local level, all local authorities are under a duty to prepare
Community Strategies. These should be developed by Local Strategic Partnerships
and should promote or improve the economic, social and environmental well-being
of the area, as well as contributing to the achievement of sustainable
development in the UK. ODPM has policy responsibility for Community Strategies.
However, SDU has interest in ensuring that Community Strategies take account
of sustainable development, including use of sustainable development indicators.
See: Preparing
Community Strategies - Government Guidance to Local Authorities
(on the ODPM web site)
Making information about the environment publicly available is essential
for achieving sustainable development. By providing access to environmental
information, the public is able to take decisions in full knowledge of
the likely environmental implications and to participate more effectively
in decision-making processes that affect the environment. Openness also
promotes transparent decision-making and greater public accountability
of how authorities undertake their duties and responsibilities.
For more information about the law on access to environmental information,
see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/pubaccess/index.htm
For more information about Proposals for a European Community Directive
on Public Participation in Certain Environmental Matters, see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ecdpp/index.htm
Defra launched a public consultation period for new Environmental Information
Regulations, illustrating the government's commitment to freedom of information
and to greater openness and transparency. The public consultation period
ran from July to October 2002. The consultation document can be found
via this link.
Access to Justice
In November 2002 the Magistrate's Association launched 'Costing the Earth',
guidance for magistrates on sentencing for environmental offences. For
more details go to www.sustainable-development.gov.uk
All material on action to deliver the Government's Sustainable Development
Strategy can now be found on the Government's main sustainable development
website at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk,
including material such as consultation papers prepared during the production
of the strategy. For an index to archive material originally published
on the DETR web site, plus other relevant documents, click
here.
Defra is not responsible for the contents or reliability
of the linked web sites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed
within them. Listing should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We
cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have
no control over the availability of the linked pages. |
