From Wales to the World, for Future Generations

Everybody loves good news, and this week there’s plenty of it coming from New York. It’s all about the future of our planet – and it’s giving us lots of hope!

At the United Nations’ Summit of the Future (coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly) on Sunday, world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future. With 17 goals covering crucial topics including climate change, sustainable development and youth and future generations, the pivotal pact includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.

‘Future generations thinking’ is the idea that decisions made now should not have a negative impact on future generations. It’s not a new concept – and was pioneered a long way away from New York, in Wales.

In 2015, Jane Davidson, then Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, proposed legislation requiring the nation’s politicians to govern with future generations in mind. As a result, the following year, the Wellbeing of the Future Generations Act came into force – and Sophie Howe was appointed the first Future Generations Commissioner.

It’s wonderful to see such an important concept spread from its innovative beginnings in Wales to the rest of the world. This is the kind of radical thinking and governance that really does have the power to make a difference. It’s similar to the global Rights of Nature movement, which campaigns for the legal rights of non-human entities – and which inspired our decision to appoint Nature to our board of directors. Future generations thinking and Nature rights go hand-in-hand because they’re both about changing the way we think and act for the sake of the future of our planet.

As the Pact for the Future was adopted, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged everyone to commit to the agreement:

“We have unlocked the door,” he said, “now it is our common responsibility to walk through it. The Pact for the Future is about turbocharging the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels, and securing a peaceful and liveable future for everyone on our planet.”

As the summit continued, Guterres was present at a screening of Future Council. This incredible film sees director Damon Gameau take eight brilliant kids on a bus trip across Europe, searching for solutions to the climate crisis. They talk to politicians, polluters and businesses trying to do things differently (including none other than us, about Nature on the Board!). The young stars of the film were in New York and took part in the summit through Gameau’s Once Upon a Future campaign. What a perfect way to mark the adoption of the Pact for the Future!

As if all that wasn’t inspiring enough, it's Climate Week NYC – and the city’s playing host to over 600 events and talks with the future of our planet at their heart. One of these is Earth Law Center’s live reading of The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity. This 1000-year-old, multicultural story follows a group of animals who take humans to court for treating them badly. There are clear parallels between the storyline and the work of Rights of Nature movement to give non-human entities legal personhood. It might be an ancient tale, but in today’s world, it couldn’t be more relevant.