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Jacqueline Marchelli

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Welsh Government

Climate love

Taking future generations more into account in how they act on climate today.

In Wales, Sophie Howe has been for seven years the world's first ever future generations commissioner; she is responsible for giving advice on long-term thinking to the Welsh government, including on climate, thanks to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act passed in 2015.This act requires for all public bodies – including the Welsh government itself – to demonstrate how their decisions are meeting today's needs without compromising those of future generations.
The law establishes seven long-term national wellbeing goals such as a prosperous Wales, a healthier Wales, a more equal Wales, a globally responsible Wales and a resilient Wales (this latter includes ecological resilience).
When asked how can someone manage to represent people who will be born in five, 50 or 100 years, Sophie Howe answers "I always say that I sort of represent the unborn but they don't talk to me very often, it's impossible for us to know exactly what future generations are going to need." But "Wherever I go anywhere in the world and I talk about the future generations act, the general response is, 'Oh, my God, like, why doesn't every country have one?'
The job of the future generations commissioner, says Howe, is to support public bodies to reach these goals, monitor and review their progress, and issue recommendations. There's no obligation to follow these recommendations, although bodies do have to respond to explain why they aren't.
Howe worked mainly on big strategic policy issues, such as the government's transport strategy. After the Welsh government approved plans for a relief road around the city of Newport which would have cut through a highly biodiverse area of natural wetlands, Howe intervened, asking how this project could fit into the goals for a low-carbon society,maintening ecosystems, and supports healthier citizens.
The Welsh government finally refused the plans. "I suppose that goes to the power of someone independent, saying 'on behalf of future generations, can I ask you how this is going to work for future generations, and address these long-term issues that we're facing?'" says Howe.
Howe then went on to challenge the government's entire transportation strategy, which at the time focused investment on roads rather than on public transport. "We then worked with the government on developing an entirely new transport strategy, which puts private car use at the bottom of the pile of priorities, and puts active travel and public transport at the top," says Howe. In 2021, the country announced a freeze on road building due to its climate impact, with a review to assess road building policy line with the future generations act. A final decision is expected later this year.
Howe has now finished her second term as future generations commissioner for Wales, and a new appointee will start soon. During this term, she has issued recommendations on everything from a shorter working week and universal basic income, to the creation of a national nature service, home energy efficiency measures and developing an education system fit for the future; always with a focus on how to achieve multiple wellbeing benefits in the long term.
The good news is that the idea seems to be spreading: Gibraltar now has a similar commissioner, and bills are in development in the UK, Irish and Scottish parliaments. The UN also plans to appoint one.
As climate impacts begin to bite, and are only set to get worse as time goes on, governments, societies, philosophers and young people are finding themselves tasked more and more to consider how the wellbeing of the billions of people who will live in the future can be accounted for in decisions today.
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Do people yet to be born have climate change rights?

Do people yet to be born have climate change rights?

There are some who believe we should be taking future generations more into account in how we act on climate today.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230215-should-future-generations-have-climate-rights

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