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Wales pledge to use only fair share of resources 19/11/2008
Wales today pledged to become a "one planet nation" and use only its fair share of the world's resources.
But the environmental campaigning group WWF Cymru said the proposed timeframe was too vague in the light of the current economic crisis.
They said the average Welsh resident’s impact on the planet is more than three and a half times that of the average African.
And the Conservatives said poor local council funding deals would hinder efforts to achieve the goal.
Environment Minister Jane Davidson said assembly government targets include an 80%-90% cut in carbon-based energy and a move towards recycling or re-using all waste.
A consultation document entitled One Wales: One Planet says the aim is to achieve the targets within the lifetime of a generation - which could mean 30 to 40 years.
The assembly plan sets out a number of targets and actions for Wales to take, including:
The need to reduce our reliance on carbon based energy by 80 to 90%.
A move towards becoming a zero waste nation, building on the Assembly Government’s target of achieving 70% recycling of municipal waste by 2025.
We will extend the use of ecological footprinting by introducing a grant scheme from 2009/10.
We will invest 190 million pounds in public health to improve equity in health.
Sustainable development will be made a core objective for the restructure of the NHS in all it does by giving clear duties to the new bodies to demonstrate best practice in planning and design, building, transport and waste management.
We will give further support Sustainable Development education initiatives.
The report says there is a need to organise the way we live and work so we can travel less by car, wherever possible, and can live and work in ways which have a much stronger connection with our local economies and communities".
It also calls for the use of more locally grown food.
"Wales' ecological footprint is currently 5.16 global hectares per person, compared to a global availability of 1.88 global hectares,” said Jane Davidson.
"It tells us that within our small nation we are using 2.7 planets worth of resources to sustain our lifestyles.
"Unchecked, this could rise by 20% by 2020, the equivalent of 3.3 planets worth of resources.”
But WWF Cymru says the economic drivers of our current unsustainable development are ignored and the scheme misses an opportunity to make the case why sustainable development is the only response to the current economic climate.
Morgan Parry, Head of WWF Cymru said: “We congratulate the Welsh Assembly Government for agreeing to use the ecological footprint as a tool to help move Wales towards a One Planet nation.
“However the scheme fails to set a target. It states an aspiration to do this in the “lifetime of a generation”, but globally life expectancy varies enormously.
“Will we become sustainable in the 78 year lifespan of the
average Welsh person, or the 30 year lifespan of a Malawian?
“Wales and western countries blind pursuit of economic growth has led us down some deeply unsustainable paths, which are costing us a fortune to put right - from resource depletion, climate change and species loss.”
“In Wales people are living as if they have the resources of three planets when we need to be using the fair share of the resources of one planet.
“Currently the average Welsh person’s ecological footprint is the same as 33 African countries put together, with the average Welsh resident’s impact on the planet being more than three and a half times that of the average African.”
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