Transcript SKILLS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

SKILLS AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
THE CHALLENGE
TESS GILL
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
THE EXTENT OF THE
CHALLENGE
• Climate Change Committee –October Report:
• Sustainable emissions reductions in the UK through
implementation of measures to improve carbon
efficiency have been very low and largely due to the
recession
• GHG emissions over the period 2003 to 2007 fell at an
annual average rate under 1%.
• Going forward a step change will be required to achieve
deep emissions cuts required through the first three
carbon budget periods and beyond:
SOME OF THE ACTION NEEDED
• Make a major shift in the strategy on
residential home energy efficiency, moving
away from the existing supplier obligation,
to a transformation of our residential
building stock through a whole house and
street by street approach, with advice,
encouragement, financing and funding
available for households to incentivise
major energy efficiency improvements.
Transport Plans
• 25% emissions reduction on 2007 levels by 2020:
• Falling carbon intensity of new cars to 95 g/kmin 2020
from158g/km.
• 240 thousand electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2015,
and 1.7 million by 2020, supported by appropriate
charging infrastructure.
• Roll-out Smarter Choices to encourage better journey
planning and increased use of public transport across
the UK and training drivers in eco-driving.
Resource inefficiency
250
200
1990 = 100
150
100
50
Gross World Product
• reducing material throughput
essential with or without growth
Iron Ore
Bauxite
Copper
Nickel
Zinc
• evidence of absolute decoupling
virtually absent
GWP
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
BEYOND CLIMATE CHANGE
• Climate change one result from living
beyond the world’s resources.
• Need to also increase resource efficiency
and protect bio-diversity
• Principles of sustainable development set
out principles
Five new principles
We want to achieve our goals of living within environmental
limits and a just society, and we will do it by means of a
sustainable economy, good governance, and
sound science.
What are sustainable skills?
• Skills may just that – specific skills needed
for example to advise, purchase and install
renewables.
• See Pro Environ – LCREE skills paper for
e.gs and SW/O Research Brief.
• But there are also far more generic
skills/capacities/awareness to initiate,
progress and manage change ….
LCIS and skills
• Core skills – STEM
• More general skills – communication,
leadership and management skills to drive
culture change or overhaul business
practices;
• Sustainable procurement, environmental
and risk management, monitoring;
• Energy, resource efficiency, product life
cycle, carbon auditing and trading.
Sustainable Skills
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Some SDC suggested skills for all learners:
Understanding evidence/impacts
Systems thinking
Understanding change
Thinking locally and globally
Critical thinking
Understanding risk and precautionary principle
No wider output
In work or community
Current skill
e.g plumbing
LCREE output
More water efficiency
Skill input
LCREE plumbing
Advises clients on
Range of measures
Active in community
Current skill
e.g. plumbing
Output
More Water efficiency
SD/LCREE input
Plumbing +
Done with associated skills sets
E.G Resource efficiency - Water
• Almost a quarter of public water supply is lost
through leakage.
• Over 25% of groundwater bodies in England is
at risk from over abstraction.
• Over 50% of UK water consumption is in the
home – third flushed down the toilet.
• Hot water use in homes accounts for 5% of total
GHG emissions
• Leakages from petrol stations contribute to water
pollution in groundwater.
Delivery -Roundtable
• Action required by Government,
employers and providers;
• Learner and trade union involvement key;
• Resource efficiency better approach than
low carbon;
• Supply chains can be used to spread
learning and ideas;
• Public sector procurement important
Delivery – Aldersgate Group
• All policies e.g. subsidies for wind or LC
Regions have corresponding skills
strategies;
• All sectors of economy need development
of skills on generic issues.
• Bin classification of green jobs.
• Requirement on all employers to provide
skills training in sustainability?
Government to lead
• Government to take co-ordinated
approach to making low carbon
sustainable skills major focus of skills
delivery.
• Need UK Commission for Employment
and Skills to lead.
• Little way to go – their Ambition 2020
World Class Skills report not mention it.
Every BIG helps
• To achieve our goal of getting off fossil
fuels reductions in demand and increases
in supply must be big.
• Do not be distracted by the myth that
‘every little helps’ If everyone does a little
we will only achieve a little.
• David JC MacKay – Sustainable Energy
without the hot air.
SO WE NEED HIGH AMBITION
AND DELIVERY
• “We have a terrible record of leading the
world on rhetoric and failing to deliver in
our own backyard” – Jonathan Porritt on
climate change.
• “Fixation of producing endless policy
documents and total lack of interest in
delivery”
• Senior Government Official quoted in FT
29/06/09.
South West can lead the way
• Great opportunity to make real progress
and use SW as exemplar when it comes to
skills for future society.
• Lets use today to think big and move from
policy to practice.