This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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UK framework for sustainable development
07/03/2005
The UK's shared framework for sustainable development
was launched in Edinburgh today.
The framework has been agreed by Scotland's devolved
government, the Welsh assembly government, the Northern
Ireland administration and the UK government.
The framework will be supported by separate strategies
for each administration, based on a set of five common
principles.
They are:
- Living within environmental
limits
- Ensuring a strong, healthy and
just society
- Achieving a sustainable
economy
- Promoting good governance
- Using sound science
responsibly
Speaking at a conference hosted by the
Sustainable Development Commission Scotland, First Minister
Jack McConnell said:
"For the past three centuries, too many people simply
didn't recognise that the world's resources are not
limitless. They didn't look to the future, and didn't
concern themselves with the impact their actions might have
on the future of our planet.
"But while my generation are more aware of environmental
impact, we still consume too much and waste too much, and
too often many decisions makers take short term decisions
rather than the right action for the long term.
"I am pleased to be launching the new UK Framework for
Sustainable Development at this time. It represents a new
level of commitment for all four parts of the United
Kingdom - the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales,
the UK government and the Northern Ireland
administration.
"Our challenge is to make economic growth sustainable,
to break the link with environmental damage and change the
way we lead our lives so we leave a better legacy for those
who come after us."
Scotland's sustainable development strategy will be
published in the autumn. It will focus on six areas in
particular:
- Sustainable consumption and
production
- Climate change and energy
- Protecting and enhancing our
natural resources
- Creating sustainable
communities
- Encouraging people to live
differently
- The best ways to deliver and
track lasting change.
Environment minister Ross Finnie said:
"The challenge that sustainable development sets for us
is to live within environmental limits. We all share a
common future since we share a single planet. Our task is
to ensure that it is a secure future for all.
"The development of a Scottish strategy on sustainable
development will require a new degree of co-operation
between government, business, NGOs and the public.
"We need to develop a shared understanding of what needs
to happen in Scotland to create a sustainable future, and
what we each must do to make it happen. That is the work
that we will lead over the coming months."