The Foundations
To enable the Building Blocks to succeed, we highlight the foundations upon which they should be built.
A
Provide climate literacy and training at a national scale
1. Climate literacy should be targeted at four levels
Government and civil service – climate literacy should be mandatory to ensure all future legislation and policy aligns to national climate objectives.
University and higher education – climate literacy including systems thinking should be taught to ensure newly qualified professionals do not operate in specialist silos.
National curriculum – embed climate literacy within education
General public – public information campaign to raise awareness and sign post towards action. The National Dialogue on Climate Action in Ireland provides precedent.
2. Develop tailored apprenticeship and training schemes to address existing and forecast skilled labour shortages in the retrofit and circular reuse of buildings space.
B
Align the economy with well-being and planetary limits
3. UK government to join Wellbeing Economy Government Partnership (alongside
Scotland and Wales) to prioritise well-being over GDP, and adopt the maximisation of
planetary health as the primary purpose driving our economy
4. Implement a Better Business Act to impose a duty to wider stakeholders. including the living world and to require a clearly stated purpose for the company.
5. Move towards Doughnut Economics, to utilise the built environment to bring all UK citizens above the social foundation whilst staying within planetary limits.
C
Safeguard future generations ability to act
6. Implement a Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, to inform national wellbeing goals and promote long-term decision making (as proposed by Lord Bird and the UN).
7. Implement Future Generations Impact Assessments as a core gateway element of legislation or plan making procedures, which should include how the built environment impacts future existential risks, e.g. biodiversity loss and soil degradation.
8. Ensure young people are at the table when decisions are taken about their future. This could include youth parliaments, youth-led citizens assemblies.
D
Foster climate leadership through reforms and working with local authorities
9. Appoint a Future Generations Minister empowered to effectively represent the young and unborn in the political process as successfully implemented in Wales.
10. Treasury to be mandated to implement recommendation from Climate Change Committee and enforce the Carbon Budget. First implement participatory budgeting in all cities to increase accountability and create alignment between financial and carbon planning.
11. Empower Local Authorities to incentivise faster and context driven decarbonisation and nature restoration routes.