#futuregen : Lessons from a Small Country

"What Wales is doing today, the world will do tomorrow.”—Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary General

The story of how one small nation responded to global climate issues by radically rethinking public policy for future generations

In #futuregen, Jane Davidson explains how, as Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, she proposed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015—the first piece of legislation on Earth to place regenerative and sustainable practice at the heart of government. Unparalleled in its scope and vision, the Act connects environmental and social health and looks to solve complex issues such as poverty, education and unemployment. Davidson reveals how and why such groundbreaking legislation was forged in Wales—once reliant on its coal, iron and steel industries—and explores how the shift from economic growth to sustainable growth is creating new opportunities for communities and governments all over the world.

#futuregen is the inspiring story of a small, pioneering nation discovering prosperity through its vast natural beauty, renewable energy resources and resilient communities. It’s a living, breathing prototype for local and global leaders as proof of what is possible in the fight for a sustainable future.

Jane Davidson is Pro Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and chairs the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission’s Wales Inquiry. From 2000–2011, she was Minister for Education, then Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in the Welsh Government where she proposed legislation to make sustainable development its central organising principle; the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act came into law in April 2015. She introduced the first plastic bag charge in the UK, and her recycling regulations took Wales to third best in the world. She created the Climate Change Commission for Wales, the post of Sustainable Futures Commissioner and the Wales Coast Path. In education, she piloted major curriculum changes for early years – the Foundation Phase, the Welsh Baccalaureate and integrated Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship – into the Welsh curriculum. Jane is a patron of the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and Tools for Self Reliance (TFSR Cymru). She holds honorary fellowships from WWF, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. Jane is chair of the RSA in Wales and in 2017 was guest faculty on the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership programme at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She lives on a smallholding in west Wales where she aims to live lightly on the land.