by Andrea Westall | Jan 21, 2012
The Future of Democracy in the Face of Climate Change was a piece of research which ran from late 2009 to early 2012. It resulted in five reports which explore the question of: How might democracy and participatory decision-making have evolved to cope with the...
by Andrea Westall | Dec 21, 2011
Tim O’Riordan notes our reluctance to forego the benefits of a carbon-dependent world. We want sustainability but are not prepared to vote for it. The main problem is short-termism, exacerbated when things are financially tight. Tim notes that the one piece of...
by Andrea Westall | Nov 21, 2011
Halina Ward spoke at a TEDx event for young people on future generations and intergenerational justice as the Minister for Future Generations in 2050, Septima Tulisa, jointly supported by FDSD, and held at London Zoo. Septima Tulisa, steps back in time from the year...
by Andrea Westall | Nov 21, 2011
More than 2/3rds of British people believed in this 2011 IPSOS-MORI poll that the UK Government considers future generations too little in its decisions. Nearly half of those interviewed (45%) think passing on a healthy planet is more important than a thriving economy...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
FDSD joined 28 other organisations, including the National Trust and the Town and Country Planning Association, to call for the then Localism Bill (now Localism Act) to be amended to include a definition of sustainable development. “We believe that achieving...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
When FDSD learned that new administrative arrangements for Hungary’s Commissioner for Future Generations could water down the role of this unique institution, despite strengthened protection for the environment and future generations in Hungary’s new constitution, we...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
Following the suggestions of Intergenerational Foundation’s report Hoarding of Housing: the intergenerational crisis in the housing market, Halina Ward argues that the UK Government has no consistent approach to future generations, and that ‘future generation’...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
FDSD submitted evidence to the PASC (Public Administration Select Committee) Inquiry into Government policy and the capacity for strategic thinking in Whitehall arguing that the UK needs to create new institutions to overcome short-term electoral cycles, and to have...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
FDSD joined other NGOs to urge the European Commission to redress a bias towards economic and business issues in its communications leading up to Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. In, for example, a recent communication Rio+20: towards the...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2011
FDSD warned about “signs of erosion in the overall global political commitment to sustainable development” and recommended urgent action to accept the reality of planetary boundaries, address political short-termism and create institutions to ensure that...
by Andrea Westall | Sep 21, 2011
On 9th September 2010, UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for a “horizon shift” to respond to a political culture and society which has become too short-term. Halina argues that, whilst the analysis is good, the proposed solutions – increased mobility...
by Andrea Westall | Dec 21, 2010
This report suggests ten governance options for the UK to embed a more future-oriented approach in UK politics, including an Office for Future Generations to an annual Congress of the Future and a new parliamentary chamber. Peter Roderick highlights some of the UK’s...
by Andrea Westall | Oct 21, 2010
FDSD and WWF-UK argued that sustainable development should be a central organizing principle of national and local government alongside constitutional, legislative and executive protections. We argued for institutional innovations such as the Hungarian Parliamentary...
by Andrea Westall | Sep 21, 2010
Halina Ward takes a critical look at ISO 26000, an international standard that aims to encourage organisations to be socially-responsible. She assesses the standard against democracy and sustainable development, making recommendations so that it could better enhance...
by Andrea Westall | May 21, 2010
Whilst there are examples of decision-making innovations that link communities and mainstream politics, Halina Ward asks what happens when community groups that self-organise on sustainable development choose not to engage with local government. Download The full...
by Andrea Westall | Apr 21, 2010
Report of an event held by FDSD, Schumacher College, Dartington Hall Trust, Salzburg Global Seminar and Goodenough College, on 19th and 20th April 2010 at Goodenough College, London The seminar focussed on: what innovations are needed in democracy and participatory...
by Andrea Westall | Apr 21, 2010
Drawing on her experience at Australian online campaign group GetUp, Sally Hill considers the rise of online activism such as MoveOn, GetUp, 38 Degrees, and Avaaz, on democracy, focusing primarily on their climate change activities. Download The full paper by Sally...
by Andrea Westall | Jan 16, 2010
Ten civil society chief executives, including FDSD, signed an open letter calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to go beyond his pledge for a ‘New Politics’ to adopt a “New Politics of the Future” since short-termism is hampering progress on tackling climate change;...
by Andrea Westall | Dec 21, 2009
In the absence of a visionary text setting out the intersections between democracy, environmental justice and sustainable development, Charles Secrett argues that we need to draft a core text, and then rely on the wisdom of crowds to develop it. “Can we find that...
by Andrea Westall | Dec 21, 2009
Ian Christie argues that the “Climategate” scandal, where emails between scientists were stolen from the University of East Anglia in the UK, show that scientists need to better communicate the contested and probabilistic nature of data, be aware of their own values...
