Doha's most progressive country on climate change? Wales

[JohnB]

Welsh assembly member John Griffiths stands out from the hordes of other environment ministers scurrying around the UN climate talks in Doha. Along with Edna Molewa of South Africa, he can claim to represent a country that has enshrined sustainable development in its constitution.

But Griffiths can go further than any of the 194 countries at the talks. Unless there is a political upset, he says, Wales will become the first country in the world to make it legally binding for all public bodies, from health trusts to libraries and schools, to take account of the environment and social issues when they make a decision.

The sustainable development bill should be delivered in just under a year, says Griffiths, who is in Doha to meet other regional governments like Catalonia, Brittany and Quebec, as well as UN agencies.

"It would be a legal first," he says. "A country may be small but it can be smart and far-sighted."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ntry-wales

[Little John]

Welsh assembly member John Griffiths stands out from the hordes of other environment ministers scurrying around the UN climate talks in Doha. Along with Edna Molewa of South Africa, he can claim to represent a country that has enshrined sustainable development in its constitution.

But Griffiths can go further than any of the 194 countries at the talks. Unless there is a political upset, he says, Wales will become the first country in the world to make it legally binding for all public bodies, from health trusts to libraries and schools, to take account of the environment and social issues when they make a decision.

The sustainable development bill should be delivered in just under a year, says Griffiths, who is in Doha to meet other regional governments like Catalonia, Brittany and Quebec, as well as UN agencies.

"It would be a legal first," he says. "A country may be small but it can be smart and far-sighted."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ntry-wales

What does "take account" and "legally binding" mean?

[JohnB]

What does "take account" and "legally binding" mean?

It will be interesting to find out! Local authorities seem to be some way behind the Welsh Government. They can't cope with legal low-impact development yet, and some of us are starting work on trying to push it further!

[stumuzz]

As a hard bitten Anarcho-capatalist Leanne Wood the new leader of Plaid Cymru has me involuntarily nodding in agreement whenever she speaks about all things energy. Much better than the wet drip she replaced.

This is her opening speech upon being voted as leader,
http://www.english.plaidcymru.org/the-s ... onference/


"One of the first acts of a Plaid Cymru government will be to establish our own national powerhouse, a Glas Cymru for green energy, investing in national infrastructure from tidal energy to community-owned wind and hydro power, focused on our own energy needs and yes, where appropriate, exporting this valuable commodity but, and here’s the difference, repatriating the profits and reinvesting them for the benefit of all the people of Wales."

[JohnB]

I've been quite impressed with my so far very limited contact with Plaid Cymru.

[emordnilap]

Locally owned, family owned, co-operatively owned, community- owned – these are the businesses we want to see become the bedrock of our economy.

Oh, and Tesco.

Good speech though. All you can hope is that she gets less co-opted than the usual hard talker and that she gets re-elected on the strength of carrying through her fine words.