ANNEX A
SOME BRIEF COMMENTS ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGY
CHAPTER 1. THE
NEED FOR
CHANGE
The definition of sustainable development is
useful and the full weight given in the White Paper to each of
four aspects (social progress, environment protection, natural
resource use and high and stable levels of economic growth and
employment) is welcome.
We remain concerned about the relationship between
economic growth and sustainable development. In most societies
in most periods economic growth has been associated with greater
exploitation of natural resources, and higher levels of environmental
impact. The challenge of sustainable development is how to achieve
growth at the same time as reducing adverse environmental impacts
and over-use of resources. This can only be achieved by major
transformation of markets to ensure that environmental impacts
per unit of consumption are reduced substantially. This is a large
and continuing task. The White Paper makes it appear somewhat
too easy, and does not give a clear enough impression of the scale
of the changes to our economyand society that will be needed to
get to a more sustainable pattern of development, and the political
will and public commitment that will need to be mobilised. Most
of the examples given are of win-win solutions achieving economic
growth whilst minimising the impact of the environment. These
are valuable, but in many cases difficult trade-offs may be necessary
to achieve sustainable development. It would be helpful for the
strategy to set out Government policy in these more difficult
areas.
CHAPTER 2. PRODUCING
A STRATEGY
The consultation process is usefully summarised
here. We welcome the emphasis on the need for a social dimension
as well as an environmental one.
The implications of devolution do not appear
to have been fully thought through. Some but not all of the issues
which sustainable development deals with have been devolved to
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many also have an international
dimension.
It appears to the Round Table that there will
be a clear need for sustainable development strategies for Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland, and we hope that the appropriate bodies
will pursue this. At the same time we see a continuing need for
a UK strategy to bring together those issues that need to be integrated
at UK level (not only the functions which are retained by the
UK Government), and to relate as necessary to international processes
and strategies.
Within the countries of the UK the relationship
of the national sustainable development strategies to those being
developed by regions and by local authorities need to be more
clearly spelt out so that they complement and support one another
rather than just proceeding on separate tramlines.
Greater weight also needs to be given to European
and international dimensions. The EU is shortly to produce a new
environmental strategy, and it will no doubt have a major influence
on a wide range of issues such as environmental taxes. The EU
has also been edging towards a more integrated approach to promoting
sustainability in all its activities. UK objectives for how they
would like to see EU policy on sustainable development develop
in the next period need to be clearly articulated and promoted.
Similarly UK objectives for how international
action on sustainable development might evolve up to and beyond
the anticipated Earth Summit III in 2002 need to be spelt out.
The work of the Round Table is greatly affected
by devolution and regionalisation, and the new Sustainable Development
Commission will have to take explicit account of the new arrangements.
The Round Table has been a UK body and has gained strength, variety
and vitality from having membership from all four countries. Its
work and recommendations have throughout been intended for a UK
audience, and have been relevant to all parts of the UK. Building
on this experience, the Round Table believes it is highly desirable
that the new Sustainable Development Commission should also be
a UK body with a role and membership covering all parts of the
four countries. We fully recognise, and indeed would recommend,
that the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland may
wish to establish their own machinery for promoting sustainable
development. If that happens it would be important to establish
appropriate links between any new national bodies and the UK Commission.
CHAPTER 3. PROGRESS
AND PRIORITIES
We welcome the use of headline indicators and
believe that they represent an important element of the strategy.
We also broadly agree with the priorities which they reflect,
although particular indicators may need to be reviewed in the
future. We are also disappointed that there is no measure of poverty
or social exclusion, and call on the Government to make further
efforts to fill this gap as soon as possible, as the Deputy Prime
Minister has promised. The UN Human Development Report might provide
a useful approach to this.
While recognising and welcoming the strength
of the concept of a limited set of headline indicators for the
purpose of focusing public and political attention, we think that
they cannot by themselves capture all aspects of sustainability
that deserve attention. We shall therefore certainly ourselves
want to pay closer attention to the wider set of 150 indicators
as well.
From a sustainability point of view it is particularly
important to pay close attention to those composite indicators
which reveal whether or how far economic growth in general or
in a particular sector is being successfully decoupled from growth
of use of natural resources or growth of pollution. We have been
particularly impressed by a presentation showing growth of the
economy and of road traffic being decoupled from growth of pollution
during the 1990s (due to tighter controls, catalytic converters
etc) and to a much lesser extent from energy consumption and CO2
production (due to higher road fuel duty and somewhat more efficient
engines). We need more of this kind of indicator and analysis
to chart the real progress of sustainability and to judge where
further measures are needed.
The Round Table welcomes the commitment in paragraph
3.7 of the Strategy to aim for all of the headline indicators
to move in the right direction over time, and to adjust policies
where trends are unacceptable. We hope to see this firmed up with
specific commitments to targets and timetables as the monitoring
process develops. We would hope to see this commitment extended
as soon as possible to other key indicators in the larger set,
and to the kind of composite indicator referred to in the preceding
paragraph which gives a real measure of the progress of sustainability.
Although we agree that it is not possible to
capture the whole concept of sustainability by a single composite
indicator such as the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare or
the UNDP Human Development Index, it is well worth keeping the
movement of such indices under review as a part of the overall
monitoring process. It is also worth giving further consideration
to the way in which some of the main economic indicators do or
do not take account of environmental or social goods and bads,
and how they might be amended or supplemented over time to take
better account of the integrated objective of sustainable development.
Looking to the future, it might be helpful to
develop an annual cycle whose elements could include publication
of the indicators update, report on progress with the White Paper
objectives, report from Green Ministers, commentary by the Sustainable
Development Commission and review by the Environmental Audit Committee.
It will be important to be systematic in this way about progress
review against the indicators, and to make maximum use of the
agencies outside Government such as the Commission and Committee
to ensure a degree of independence and objectivity in the assessments.
One important aspect to be considered at an
early stage is how national indicators, measures and targets should
be disaggregated both geographically to countries, regions and
local authorities; and sectorally to industry (and individual
firms), domestic etc, so that progress of the different sectors
and groupings can be compared and their contributions to national
objectives assessed. The Round Table could play a part in encouraging
Regional Development Agencies to develop regional indices of sustainability,
following on from its report Sustainable Development—Devolved
and Regional Dimensions.
CHAPTER 4. GUIDING
PRINCIPLES AND
APPROACHES
Principles are important guides and we believe
that sustainable development principles should inform all Government
thinking. However, there is a danger that the Government may only
pay lip service to them. We recognise that principles such as
the polluter pays principle may be difficult to implement in the
short term for valid commercial reasons, but believe that in the
long-term difficult decisions will need to be made to ensure that
they are effectively implemented.
We are also concerned that the precautionary
principle is being interpreted simply as conventional risk management,
weighing up probable costs and benefits. This approach needs to
be adapted to apply in situations of scientific uncertainty and
with respect to the long term. But we urge the Government not
to dilute this principle. We would also urge caution with respect
to the concept of environmental capital; much environmental capital
should not be treated as having a "price" against which
it can be traded for other benefits, but as of absolute value.
We commend the Government for emphasising the
need for consumers and other sectors to play their part, but would
advise against relying on campaigns to change behaviour, without
adequate incentives in place to facilitate and promote good behaviour.
We welcome the relaunch of Are you doing your bit?, on
an enlarged scale; we are however uncertain of the likely efficacy
of the advertisements by themselves. We shall be interested to
see the report on the research which is to be carried out on this.
CHAPTER 5. SENDING
THE RIGHT
SIGNALS
This part of the strategy appears to have missed
the opportunity to provide a clear over-arching theme for sustainable
development. It could usefully have set out long-term objectives
(in terms of outcomes) to which the strategy was aimed and sought
consensus at that level. It would then have been easier to set
about some of the short-term actions which might contribute to
the broader transition to sustainable development. Such an approach
could also have revealed a number of areas which should be given
urgent attention and have the potential for quick gains, such
as reform of building regulations to improve the enrgy efficiency
of buildings.
We believe that there is room for further progress
in strengthening the role of Green Ministers. In particular, they
should be encouraged to address how the policies of their departments
contribute to sustainable development, as well as considerations
of "green housekeeping" (important as that is).
One area of particular importance is the Budget.
We agree with the Environmental Audit Committee that the whole
Budget should be appraised in terms of its environmental (and
wider sustainable) impact and not just those policies labelled
as "environmental".
We strongly believe that the Government should
set an example in following sustainable development principles,
including through its procurement practice. We outlined some principles
of a sustainable procurement policy in our recent report Small
and Medium-Sized Enterprises. These need to be developed and
applied across Whitehall. Particular attention should be paid
to whether the Private Finance Initiative is delivering sustainable
development in practice.
CHAPTER 6. A
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
We welcome the comprehensive set of policies
adopted in this chapter and broadly support the Government's approach.
However, there could usefully have been a greater emphasis on
the role of environmental taxation, set in the context of the
wider tax system to show more clearly the Government's desire
to move from taxing "goods" to "bads". Due
prominence should also have been given to other incentives to
promote best practice.
We welcome the Government's approach towards
businesses playing their part, and the need for trade associations
to provide a forum for consensus within sectors and joint action.
However, it should be recognised that this will result in the
pace of progress being relatively slow. Many firms may use parts
of the strategy to indicate their own good practice, but this
may not provide the challenge necessary for them to make significant
progress in this area. There is an urgent need for sectoral strategies;
we welcome the Government's encouragement of these and urge business
sectors to take up this challenge.
CHAPTER 7. BUILDING
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
This Chapter brings together in a useful way
many of the national, regional and local strategies and initiatives
that are important to achieving sustainability at regional and
local level. The key problem is how to achieve that integration
in practice. Great weight is put on the strategies to be prepared
at regional and at local level, but neither is yet on a statutory
basis, and at regional level it is not even clear where the lead
responsibility should lie.
The Round Table considers that a much clearer
articulation of responsibilities for sustainable development at
UK, national, regional and local level is needed, with the relationships
between different levels clearly spelt out, and the way in which
fulfilment of targets or progress against indicators at lower
levels will contribute to the achievement of aggregate targets
at higher levels. We think that the different formulations of
duties for sustainable development at national, regional and local
level need to be sorted out. In particular we think that there
is a clear need to spell out a statutory duty to promote sustainable
development at local level, and to adopt a local sustainable development
strategy over-arching and guiding all other local strategies to
fulfil it.
CHAPTER 8. MANAGING
THE ENVIRONMENT
AND RESOURCES
This Chapter also draws together in a useful
way objectives and action on the environment and natural resources.
It is a useful summary and points up the main areas of concern.
It conveys the impression however that most of the issues are
well in hand. The Round Table believes that, when the indicators
are available, they are likely to show that much more needs to
be done in some of the key areas such as greenhouse gas reduction,
air quality, reversing very adverse trends in biodiversity, wildlife,
and landscape, reducing persistent pollutants and managing waste
better. We look forward to a regular information-based dialogue
which will enable these points to be highlighted.
CHAPTER 9. INTERNATIONAL
CO -OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
Another useful summary, highlighting the importance
of achieving sustainable development throughout the world and
the kinds of international action needed to help in the developing
countries where the problems are the most acute. There is however
no clear articulation between the agreed goals for the world and
the objectives which the UK accepts for its international effort
on aid and other initiatives. Unless this gap can be filled it
will be difficult to monitor the adequacy of the UK's performance
in this area properly.
CHAPTER 10. ACTION
AND FUTURE
REPORTING
A useful summary of key priorities and key actors.
Regular review of progress by all parts of society and focusing
of attention on areas that most need action will be crucial. The
Round Table intends to make its own commentary on this at the
end of 1999 in the light of the indicators' report in the autumn.
We also intend to offer further advice as to how its successor
body, the Sustainable Development Commission, might best address
the task.
| 
