With a remit set out in law to be “the guardian of the interests of future generations in Wales”, Sophie Howe is the world’s only Future Generations Commissioner. Her role is to provide advice to the Government and other public bodies in Wales on delivering social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being for current and future generations and assessing and reporting on how they are delivering.

Sophie, a mum of five named number five on Radio Four's Woman's Hour's Power List, took up post in 2016 and has led high profile interventions around transport planning, education reform and climate change challenging the Government and others to demonstrate how they are taking account of future generations. Her interventions have secured fundamental changes to land use planning policy, major transport schemes and Government policy on housing – ensuring that decisions taken today are fit for the future. 

Co-hosted by Alex Sobel MP, Shadow Environment Minister to the UK Government, in this episode we explore the role of the Future Generations Commissioner in Wales, what the plans are for similar roles in the devolved nations of the UK and more broadly, how we consider our future generations through our policy and legislative routes.

Hear Sophie's TED talk here - https://www.ted.com/talks/sophie_howe_lessons_on_leaving_the_world_better_than_you_found_it?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

We discuss the Office for Environmental Protection Report - you can read it here - https://www.theoep.org.uk/report/progress-improving-natural-environment-england-20212022

This episode has been audio transcribed. Visit PlanetPossible.eco to read the transcript.

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach

Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited

With thanks to Alastair Chisholm

Honorary Executive Producer Jane Boland