Sustainable development considers both the impacts and opportunities for driving improvements across the economy, environment and society for current and future generations. In February 2011, Government published its Vision for Mainstreaming Sustainable Development across its buildings and estates, the goods and services that it buys and the policies it makes. It made it clear that sustainable development is the responsibility of all departments. This report sets out the progress made towards the achievement of this vision.

Over the past two years Government has developed a range of policies that are contributing towards a sustainable economy, thriving communities and an improved environment. One of the key principles underlying the Government’s approach to sustainable development is that growing the economy and improving the environment can be mutually supportive.

Sustainable development across government departments

Departmental business plans set out the structural reform priorities and the policy and implementation actions departments will undertake to achieve them. All departments have been asked to include sustainable development commitments within their departmental business plans. For the first time in 2011/12 departments were also asked to report on progress meeting these in their Annual Report and Accounts. Many of the reports provided little detail in relation to sustainable development within policy development. To rectify this, revised guidance has been issued for the current reporting year.

Impact assessments are a formal part of the policy development process that requires policymakers to set out the environmental, economic and social costs and benefits of any policy or regulatory proposals. Improvements and revisions to guidance and the impact assessment process in relation to sustainable development were made in August 2011. Government has commissioned a review of how effective these changes have been and therefore how well sustainable development has been incorporated into impact assessments. The initial results indicate that while many assessments are proportionate and reflect sustainable development impacts well, there are still many that miss important impacts or have not applied sufficient rigour in their analysis.

Improvements have been made to departmental capability. From April 2013 assessment of staff performance can include whether they have demonstrated professional behaviours that support sustainable development. Many departments have been driving improvements to their staff’s understanding of sustainable development through training, sharing of good practice and the development of tools.

International efforts towards sustainable development

In summer 2012, the United Nation’s Rio+20 summit tackled the critical issue of how countries can grow their economies without destroying the natural resources on which they depend. On 22nd June 193 countries signed up to the outcome document The Future We Want which included commitments to develop Sustainable Development Goals and a global sustainability reporting framework for businesses. The UK is a member of the UN Open Working Group that is tasked with making proposals on Sustainable Development Goals by September 2014.

Greening Government

Government published its first Annual Report on Greening Government Commitments in December 2012. These are high level Government commitments for reducing the environmental impacts of its estate and operations by 2015. The first year showed good progress had been made, but with more work to be done. Government continues to press Departments to deliver against their targets.

Government is also working with Departments to ensure that sustainability is factored into how they buy their goods and services to ensure that value for money is reflected over the lifetime of products and services. Several government departments are championing sustainable procurement. The Coalition Programme set an aspiration that 25% of government spend would flow to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), directly and through the supply chain, by 2015. There has been a steady increase in central government’s direct spend with SMEs from just 6.5% in 2009/10 to 10% in 2011/12. SMEs also benefitted from a further 6% in indirect spend through the supply chain.

Enabling scrutiny

A key element of mainstreaming is to enable scrutiny of Government progress. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has consulted on a package of Sustainable Development Indicators. These can be used to consider trends in economic, societal and environmental measures together and are intended to provide high level transparent measures of whether the country is developing on a sustainable path. The revised set of indicators will be published in summer 2013. The House of Common’s Environmental Audit Committee has held a number of hearings with Defra and Cabinet Office (CO) to review Government’s progress in mainstreaming. The National Audit Office (NAO) has provided briefings on sustainability reporting, appraisals and sustainable procurement to support the Committee’s work. The Committee has now indicated that it intends to widen its scrutiny to consider progress of individual departments.

Progress on mainstreaming sustainable development

There has been good progress in mainstreaming sustainable development since the launch of the vision in 2011. This can be seen in the range of policies being developed by departments and the work to drive improvements across estates and procurement. The Business Planning and Annual Report and Accounts cycle will continue to form a central part of the mainstreaming approach and there are a number of tools available to support departments. At the same time it is only two years since the vision launched and it will take time to embed sustainable development fully across government. This can be seen in relation to gaps in sustainability reporting and the continued efforts required to meet Greening Government Commitments. Government will consider the outcome of its review of the effectiveness of sustainable development appraisal guidance and whether further improvements will be necessary. Departments will need to continue to work together to share good practice in mainstreaming sustainable development.

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State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible? addresses the question of whether transforming our society into one guided by sustainability is even possible, with contributions from experts at the Worldwatch Institute as well as from environmental thought leader David Orr, freshwater expert Sandra Postel, ecological economics pioneer Herman Daly, The Story of Stuff author Annie Leonard, science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson, and many others.

State of the World 2013 is divided into three sections that address how the term “sustainability” should be measured, how we can attain it, and how we can prepare for the possibility of falling short. In The Sustainability Metric, authors offer ways to track global progress to sustainable living. In Getting to True Sustainability, chapters examine policies and perspectives that could build a truly sustainable society if implemented. And in Open in Case of Emergency, authors tackle whether and how to prepare for a disruptive global environmental transition that looks increasingly likely.

Sustainable or sustainababble?

In his opening chapter, Worldwatch Institute president Robert Engelman argues that the word “sustainable” has become practically meaningless in today’s society, with most sustainable products just a step less bad than conventional alternatives. Engleman suggests that the science of sustainability is now clearer than ever, while the word “sustainable” is becoming more and more vague and abused through increasingly frequent vernacular use and corporate greenwashing. He warns of the power of “sustainababble” to enable the world to ignore the rich spectrum of political, cultural, and technological changes that would set us on the path to a truly sustainable future.

Engelman describes the scale of the changes needed to ensure a truly sustainable future:

“Simply doing ‘better’ environmentally will not stop the unraveling of ecological relationships that we depend on for food and health. Vastly larger changes are needed than we have seen so far. It is essential that we take stock, soberly and in scientifically measureable ways, of where we are headed. The information detailed in State of the World 2013 does that.”

Achieving sustainability of falling short?

State of the World 2013 aims to cut through the rhetoric surrounding sustainability, offering a broad and realistic look at how close we are to fulfilling it today and which practices and policies will steer us in the right direction. The contributing authors – including scientists, policy experts, and thought leaders – set out to define clear sustainability metrics and examine various policies and perspectives, including geoengineering, corporate transformation, and changes in agricultural policy, that could put us on the path to prosperity without diminishing the well-being of future generations. If these approaches fall short, the final chapters explore ways to prepare for drastic environmental change and resource depletion, such as strengthening democracy and societal resilience, protecting cultural heritage, and dealing with increased conflict and migration flows.

Worldwatch Senior Fellow and State of the World 2013 co-director Erik Assadourian argues that a radically different approach is needed:

“Environmentalism, first and foremost, continues to be a game of defense—working to reduce overall carbon emissions, chemical releases, and forest loss — rather than a battle to transform the dominant growth-centric economic and cultural paradigm into an ecocentric one that respects planetary boundaries. The environmental movement will require a dramatic reboot if it is going to reverse Earth’s rapid transformation and help create a truly sustainable future.”

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In this round-up:

• Policy brief on Education for Sustainable Development (UNESCO UK report)
• Environmental Monitoring in Natural England 2012 (Natural England report)
• Food policy in 2012: Walk the Talk (IFPRI report)
• Low-Carbon Land Transport (new policy handbook)

Read about more recent publications and research in the latest SDRN bulletin…

Policy brief on Education for Sustainable Development

The UK National Commission for UNESCO has released a report which provides an account of the current status of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) across the UK.

The report describes how ESD can be thought of as a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology and equity of all communities. It draws on evidence from independent experts from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (education is a devolved responsibility in the UK) and sets out some of the characteristics of best practice and an analysis of future opportunities for enhancing the core role of education and learning in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.

More from UNESCO UK…

Environmental Monitoring in Natural England 2012

Natural England has produced a new report describing its monitoring work. ‘Environmental Monitoring in Natural England 2012’ provides examples of monitoring activity from across the organisation in 2012.

The report describes the main themes being delivered within the organisation’s Integrated Monitoring programme, illustrating this with examples of surveys they manage and detailed case studies. Their environmental monitoring evidence is the product of actions by a wide range of bodies and this report highlights instances of effective working with, and support from, partners including Defra, the voluntary sector, and industry. The report aims to raise awareness of the Integrated Monitoring programme and demonstrate the joint working in their approach.

More from Natural England…

Food policy in 2012: Walk the Talk

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has published its 2012 Food policy report which examines the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions of 2012.

By putting into perspective the year’s food policy successes and disappointments, the report suggests how to move forward those policies that improve the food situation for the poor. Among the questions explored are: How has sustainable development evolved and is a green economy far behind? How can agriculture offer meaningful jobs to the growing number of young people in Africa? What directions are US and EU agricultural policies taking, and how do they diverge?

More from IFPRI…

Low-Carbon Land Transport

Providing a practical guide for transport policymakers and planners, this book outlines a range of ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced through low-carbon land transport systems. Based on wide ranging research, case studies from developed and developing countries and an overview of policy scenarios, ‘Low-Carbon Land Transport’ presents a toolbox for decision makers with a huge variety of measures which can be tailored to their specific circumstances.

More from Routledge…

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The Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 (TFA 2020) is a public-private partnership with the goal of reducing tropical deforestation associated with key global commodities. TFA 2020 was created at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012, through discussions between the US Government and the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF).

REDD+: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation

Slowing deforestation is the primary objective of UN climate change negotiations focussed on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), which is currently ongoing under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Tropical Forests Alliance 2020 partners

The CGF is an industry network representing over 400 retailers and manufacturers with combined annual sales over $3 trillion, which aims to eliminate deforestation from palm oil, soya, beef and paper supply chains by 2020. Prominent British companies in the CGF include Unilever and Tesco, the CEOs of which lead the Forum’s sustainability initiative.

The Alliance was established to realise the CGF target, bringing together companies and governments to identify practical opportunities for more sustainable production methods and supply chains.

TFA 2020 membership is open to countries, private sector companies, and civil society organizations that agree to undertake specific actions to address commodity-driven tropical deforestation. Existing members include the US Government, the Consumer Goods Forum, and the governments of the Netherlands and Norway.

Reducing tropical deforestation

The TFA 2020 mission is to tackle the drivers of tropical deforestation using a range of market, policy, and communications approaches. The Alliance helps to mobilise and coordinate voluntary actions by partners, individually and in combination, to reduce the tropical deforestation associated with the sourcing of commodities such as palm oil, soy, beef, and paper and pulp.

TFA 2020 partners are working together to accomplish the following:

• Improve planning and management related to tropical forest conservation, agricultural land use, and land tenure.
• Share best practices for tropical forest and ecosystem conservation and commodity production, including working with smallholder farmers and other producers on sustainable agricultural intensification, promoting the use of degraded lands, and reforestation.
• Provide expertise and knowledge in order to assist with the development of commodity and processed-commodity markets that promote the conservation of tropical forests.
• Improve monitoring of tropical deforestation and forest degradation to measure progress.

Energy and Climate Minister Greg Barker explained the importance of reducing deforestation in tackling climate change:

“The urgency of tackling climate change is clear and limiting global warming to 2°C limit will be extremely challenging – if not impossible – without a significant reduction in deforestation before 2020.

“With up to 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from deforestation, tackling this issue is a central part of how to address climate change, support greener growth and sustainable development.

“Joining the Alliance builds on the work the UK is already doing with the timber industry and rain-forest countries to crack down on illegal logging, and our plans to address the agricultural drivers of deforestation.

“The UK wants to accelerate international efforts to reduce deforestation. That’s why we are keen to work with the Alliance, and help drive this important agenda forward.”

The UK Government is also acting on its own supply chain, and recently announced plans to source all palm oil from sustainable sources from 2015.

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The growing world population and increasing pressure on resources present a pressing need to combat the challenges of food security, nutrition, poverty and environmental degradation in a coordinated manner. A new report examines both biophysical and socioeconomic related monitoring initiatives related to the sustainable intensification of agriculture, in order to inform future DFID research investments.

The Review of the Evidence on Indicators, Metrics and Monitoring Systems was led by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) under the auspices of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystem (WLE).

The report focuses upon key questions facing stakeholders in order to generate insights to improve monitoring systems:

• How to evaluate alternative research and development strategies in terms of their potential impact on productivity, environmental services and welfare goals, including trade-offs among these goals?
• How to cost-effectively measure and monitor actual effectiveness of interventions and general progress towards achieving sustainable development objectives?

The review process

The first step in the review process was to identify key initiatives in data monitoring systems relating to agriculture, paying particular attention to those that also acknowledge the impact on ecosystem health, and/or poverty and well-being. A total of 103 monitoring initiatives were identified.

The second step was to review the identified initiatives with respect to their degree of achievement in meeting a set of 34 criteria that had been established from a general literature review. All initiatives were evaluated with respect to their conceptual framework and a subset of 24 initiatives was screened against the full set of criteria. Based on this information a gap-analysis of the systems, indicators and metrics was conducted identifying strengths and weaknesses in methodology and use. Experience with monitoring in other fields, including public health surveillance, systems thinking in industry and public services, and decision sciences was also reviewed. Insights, lessons and recommendations were then drawn.

Insights and lessons

The report found common weaknesses in several areas, including the lack of clear conceptual frameworks, failure to integrate biophysical and socio-economic indicators and sampling frames, failure to use statistically sound study designs, failure to address trade-offs, and the lack of consideration of uncertainties.

Evaluation of monitoring initiatives themselves is lacking and there is virtually no information on cost-effectiveness of the measurements or the impact of the initiatives. Few initiatives have been sustained over the long term, pointing to inadequate consideration of institutional sustainability.

An over-riding lesson outlined in the report was the surprising lack of evidence for the impact of monitoring initiatives on decision-making and management. Thus, there are important opportunities for increasing the returns on these investments by better integrating monitoring systems with development decision processes and thereby increasing impacts on development outcomes.

The report ends with a series of clear steps and opportunities on how to transform these recommendations into reality to help make more informed decisions on agricultural intensification that reduces hunger and poverty sustainably for generations to come.

Further reading

• Review of the Evidence on Indicators, Metrics and Monitoring Systems: full report available to download

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The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the UK’s most prestigious awards for business success, are awarded every year on 21st April in four categories – three for outstanding business achievement in international trade, innovation and sustainable development, and one for individual achievement in encouraging UK entrepreneurship.

Of the 152 businesses recognised in the 2013 awards, nine won an award in the sustainable development category for commercially successful products, services and approaches to management which benefit the environment, society and the wider economy.

Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon described the Awards’ prestige:

“The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are one of the most internationally-recognised and sought after awards that a UK business can achieve. They give companies prestige, an edge overseas and a well deserved boost. The Queen’s Awards highlight our strong entrepreneurial streak and the excellent businesses we have up and down the country who are growing, creating jobs, making a valuable contribution to the economy and helping us to compete in the global race. I applaud each and every one of the winners.”

Outstanding achievements in sustainable development

Winners in the sustainable development category are selected for their continuous achievement in sustainable development over 5 years or for their outstanding advance over 2 years. The recognised achievements must be in some or all of: the invention, design, and production of goods; the performance of services; the marketing, distribution and after sale support of goods or services; the management of resources and relationships with people or organisations.

Winners of Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 in the sustainable development category are:

• Chiswick Park Estate Management Limited wins an award for its innovative approach to sustainable development in the workplace and beyond. Under its tag-line ‘Enjoy Work to Enjoy Tomorrow’, it offers to personnel of some 40 companies housed in its office park, referred to as ‘guests’, services for improving personal and professional satisfaction.
• Shared Interest Society is recognised for driving social improvements worldwide through delivering finance to communities lacking adequate infrastructures to support business. Since winning an Award in 2008, it continued to provide accessible and affordable finance and practical support, uniquely, to Fair Trade organisations.
• The Workspace Group wins an award for aiding regeneration and demonstrating commercially successful sustainability. Through its diverse range of services including property, enterprise and business support, energy efficiency, employability programmes, recruitment, childcare and recreation, Workspace identifies and satisfies community needs.
• Scottish Seabird Centre wins its third award since 2004 for maintaining commitment to sustainable tourism. Being a conservation and education charity, it continues to inspire children and adults to appreciate and care for wildlife and the natural environment.
• Vegware is recognised for developing compostable catering packaging, promoting sustainable development and reducing landfill waste in the catering and hospitality sector. Unique certified compostable products, including cutlery, tableware, napkins, cups for hot and cold drinks and take-away packaging, are manufactured exclusively from recycled or renewable materials.
• Pureprint Group Ltd wins an award for showing that sustainable printing is affordable and for promoting sustainable practices within and beyond the printing industry. Since winning a Queen’s Award in 2008, the company has continually improved internal environmental management, extended its approach to responsible supply chain management and, through continued service development, encouraged and advised customers on reducing carbon footprints.
• Seasalt is recognised for its commitment to ethical trading and community involvement and support. The company, having the first UK fashion brand to meet Soil Association standards for organic cotton, has made considerable progress towards the sustainability of its operations and product base.
• Wessex Water Services Limited wins an award for embedding sustainability throughout its management and operations. Being the first water company to establish catchment management agreements with farmers outside its own landholdings, it considerably reduced water contamination without deploying energy intensive treatment processes.
• SPINKO Ltd, trading as Harrison Spinks, wins an award for developing innovative, sustainable mattresses and associated products and setting an industry benchmark regarding sustainability of operations and products. The comfortable mattresses are fully recyclable, using materials sourced on the basis of their sustainability credentials. To ensure provenance of the materials, it manages its own farm and woodland.

The 2014 awards

Entry to the 2014 Awards opened on the Queen’s Birthday, 21 April, the same day the 2013 winners were announced. All the entry forms, background information and guidance notes are available, in addition to details of the 2013 winners, at www.queensawards.org.uk.

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In Reducing the UK’s carbon footprint and managing competitiveness risks, The Committee on Climate Change examines the size of UK’s carbon footprint and the impact of low-carbon policies on UK competitiveness.

Imported emissions lead to increase in UK carbon footprint

The report finds that UK’s carbon footprint has increased over the past two decades, as growth in imported emissions has more than offset reductions in production emissions within the UK.

The UK’s total carbon footprint comprises:

• Production emissions from burning fossil fuels for electricity generation, in transport including aviation and shipping, and industrial production;
• Direct emissions from heating in households and businesses;
• Emissions related to a number of other activities such as agricultural, forestry, and waste management activities;
• Imported emissions (embedded in our consumption of imported goods and services).

Reductions of around 20% in production emissions over the last two decades have limited growth in the UK’s carbon footprint, but the CCC estimates that the total carbon footprint has increased by 10% or more through increased imports as incomes have grown and manufacturing has shifted to other countries.

The increase in imported emissions is largely a result of rising incomes which increased demand for manufactured goods, which are, due to globalisation, now mostly produced elsewhere. The report considers whether carbon policies have contributed to this shift in manufacturing, but concludes that this is not the case.

Reducing the UK carbon footprint

While the UK’s total carbon footprint has increased over the past two decades, the CCC concludes that it could fall by 70% by 2050, provided a global deal to achieve climate objectives is agreed.

The finding highlights the essential role of a global deal to drive emissions reductions across countries and achieve climate objectives. This would also reduce the UK’s imported emissions, which together with deep cuts in domestic emissions required under the Climate Change Act would reduce the UK’s carbon footprint by around 70% over the next decades.

The CCC also identifies policies needed alongside a global deal:

• International climate finance for developing countries to implement mitigation and adaptation measures
• Sectoral agreements
• Policies to encourage resource efficiency and sustainable consumption

David Kennedy, Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change, stressed the need for a global deal to reduce emissions:

“The focus on reducing UK production emissions remains appropriate, given that these form a major part of our carbon footprint, and given available policy levers. Clearly we also need to reduce imported emissions. This highlights the fundamental need to reduce global emissions in order to achieve climate objectives, and to do this through a new global deal.”

Low carbon policies and competitiveness

The CCC report also considers competitiveness risks in future due to low carbon policies, including the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) aimed at supporting the transition to a low-carbon power system.

The report finds that these risks exist for energy-intensive industries where low-carbon policies could have a disproportionate effect on costs, impacting on profits, location and investment decisions. However, the CCC concludes that the risks are manageable within policies and funding already announced by the Government.

Lifecycle emissions of low-carbon technologies

The CCC’s assessment suggests that the key low-carbon technologies in power, heat and surface transport offer significant savings over fossil-fuel technologies, even when accounting for the full lifecycle by factoring in emissions from manufacture and disposal as well as operation.

The report also assesses the carbon footprint of shale gas and finds that this can be comparable with conventional natural gas, and lower than LNG, if appropriate regulatory arrangements are in place. It concludes that there may be a role for UK shale gas substituting imported gas, for example in meeting heat demand, if other environmental concerns can be addressed. But the report is very clear that shale gas should not be seen as a viable alternative to investment in low-carbon technologies in the power sector.

Further reading

• Reducing the UK’s carbon footprint and managing competitiveness risks: full report available to download

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The first committee of its kind in the world, the remit of the Natural Capital Committee (NCC) is to help the Government better understand how the state of the natural environment affects the performance of the economy and wellbeing, and to provide advice on how to manage our “natural wealth” in an efficient and sustainable way.

The creation of the NCC was a commitment of the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper, which set out the vision that “Government wants this to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than it inherited”. Reporting to the Economic Affairs Committee – chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer – the NCC has a real opportunity influence the economic policy of the UK for the good of the natural environment.

First State of Natural Capital Report

The NCC has now published its first State of Natural Capital report, setting out a framework that will help natural capital be hard wired into economic decision making in this country. The report also highlights the work the committee will be undertaking over the coming year to better understand which of our natural assets are critical to our wellbeing.

Committee Chairman Dieter Helm describes the ambition of the NCC and the importance of natural capital in his foreword to the report:

“We have an ambitious work programme that will make a genuine contribution to the better protection and enhancement of our valuable natural assets. Our economic prosperity and the wise use of our natural resources are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the latter is a precondition of the former, in [..] the short, medium and long-term. Economic growth must be sustainable – otherwise it will not be sustained.”

Understanding and valuing natural capital

In the introduction to the report, the NCC defines natural capital as:

“Natural capital” refers to those elements of nature which either directly provide benefits or underpin human wellbeing. In this way, natural capital generates value for people.

However, the ubiquitous nature of the relationship between the natural environment and human wellbeing means that the definition of natural capital is necessarily wide and includes many different types of assets. The term natural capital therefore embraces the more immediately obvious assets associated with land (such as woodlands, fields, urban parks and subsoil assets), the water environment (for example, rivers, lakes, groundwater and seas) and the atmosphere (for example, clean air, and an equable climate). However, natural capital also includes the myriad processes which underpin and generate the services which the natural environment provides (for example, the water cycle, soil fertility processes and atmospheric gas exchange).

Therefore, natural capital comprises, quite literally, a wealth of component parts; parts whose sum underpins not only all economic activity but life on earth itself.

Although natural capital is integral to our economy we do not at present directly measure changes in its extent or quality, or account for it in national accounts. Neither do we adequately reflect its value in day to day decisions about what and how much to produce and consume. Most of the time natural capital is effectively ascribed zero value.

Available evidence suggests we are failing to conserve our natural capital assets and invest in them adequately. In many cases we are increasingly demanding more from them while at the same time eroding their capacity to deliver. The risk is that rather than underpinning future growth and prosperity, degraded natural capital assets will act as a break on progress and development.

Furthermore, by failing to invest adequately in maintenance and enhancement, we risk missing opportunities that better management and stewardship of natural capital can offer.

Key messages and recommendations

The report’s recommendations are grouped under four key messages:

Assessing progress on natural capital

In conclusion, the report asserts that genuinely embedding the value of natural capital into the fabric of economic decision-making is crucial to achieving the vision of Natural Environment White Paper for nature and our natural capital assets.

In subsequent State of Natural Capital reports, the NCC will develop these ideas and evidence further, reporting on progress against the suggested recommendations.

Further reading

• State of Natural Capital Report 2013: available to download

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European fisheries ministers agree a date for discards ban

UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon played a pivotal role in brokering an agreement in Brussels to set firm dates to introduce a ban. The agreement signals a momentous step towards fundamental reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and will see the wasteful practice of discarding edible fish banned for pelagic stocks like herring and mackerel from January 2014. A ban for white fish stocks was also agreed, to begin in January 2016. More from Defra…

DFID funded Evergreen Agriculture project recognised in the UK Climate Week Awards

Evergreen Agriculture received the award for the Best Initiative by a Government or Statutory Body in the 2013 UK Climate Awards. The project is helping millions of farmers in Africa to protect themselves through agroforestry against the consequences of climate change such as drought while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More from DFID…

‘If They’re Gone…’ campaign highlights the threats posed to four iconic endangered species – rhinos, tigers, orangutans and elephants

Secretary of State for the Environment Owen Paterson has launched the ‘If They’re Gone…’ campaign, which will run for a year and focus on a different species every three months, starting with rhinos. More from Defra…

Triennial Review of the Environment Agency and Natural England

Defra has published a summary of the main themes of views submitted to the consultation on the Triennial Review of the Environment Agency and Natural England. The report also highlights some of the other messages provided to Defra during discussions with stakeholders throughout the Review so far. More from Defra…

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The government’s new Door to door strategy aims to make seamless, convenient journeys using greener modes of transport an everyday reality. The strategy describes the government’s vision for integrated sustainable journeys, setting out what is expected from transport providers and what the Department for Transport is doing to support door-to-door journeys.

Launching the report, Transport Minister Norman Baker described the multiple benefits of more sustainable transport and the simple steps to encourage its uptake:

“Helping people use greener modes of transport will help create growth and cut carbon, easing congestion on our roads and encouraging people to opt for greener, healthier options. But to make that happen we need low carbon travel to become as easy as jumping into the car. This strategy pulls together, for the first time, a whole range of different areas of work aimed at making sustainable transport a viable option for everybody.

“When people are thinking about their journey, they naturally think about the cost and complexity of the entire trip, door to door, not just the ride on the train or bus. So as well as cutting out the hassle of travelling by bike, by foot and by public transport, we need to make it simpler and more reliable to combine different ways of travelling to get the whole way from A to B. A sustainable journey is only as attractive as its weakest link.”

Encouraging greener transport choices

The strategy focuses on 4 core areas which need to be addressed so that people can be confident in choosing greener modes of transport:

• Accurate, accessible and reliable information about different transport options for their journey
• Convenient and affordable tickets, for an entire journey
• Regular and straightforward connections at all stages of the journey and between different modes of transport
• Safe and comfortable transport facilities

It also sets out how the government is encouraging behaviour change by helping reduce or remove barriers to the use of sustainable transport, and working closely with operators, local authorities and industry experts to deliver a better-connected transport system.

Currently, for journeys of less than 5 miles in Great Britain 54% of people travel by car. For longer journeys this increases to 80%.

The strategy cites examples of innovative schemes which are already making it easier for passengers to travel by more sustainable modes, including South Yorkshire’s multi-operator ticket which is valid on buses, tram and trains, and the Leeds cycle point scheme which was the first cycle hub in the UK offering secure cycle parking along with retail and repair facilities, cycle hire and information.

The government has also published guidance to help local authorities introduce ticketing schemes that allow passengers to use the same ticket on more than one operator’s services.

Further reading

• Door to door strategy: full document available to download

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