Speech to London Voluntary Sector Training Consortium AGM 4.12.2003

Jean Lambert, Green Party MEP for London

How many times do we hear that sustainable development is about the future - something that is always coming up over the horizon?

Well I for one am fed up with this - sustainable development is NOW and we need to get to grips with it fast. I get the feeling that we don't really want to move forward.

The European Union (EU)

There is lots of emphasis in the EUon employment (concern about social security, pensions etc as well as more positive case that people should be able to develop their skills and work in formal economy). Under EU law, each Member State is obliged to write an Employment National Action Plans. The EU guidelines for this document focus on: employability,adaptability and entrepreneurship.

Member States are also obliged to publish a Social Inclusion National Action Plan. The key thrust behind the guidelines for this is that the best way in to social inclusion is through a job.

This doesn't course help the many thousands who cannot work as they are too young, too old etc and also doesn't address whether the work the socially excluded are brought into pays a living wage - that's the next stage to be dealt with!

The EU's Social Protection Committee is aware of the problem and is looking at such solutions as premiums to employers, using tax credits. These are all well and good, but how a bout a proper wage! Pay the Directors less and the cleaners more.

The whole language of economic development revolves around "mobility" and "flexibility of the workforce"; "reaching the hard to reach"; "targeting benefits". Who really benefits?

In Lisbon three years ago, every EU Member State signed up to an economic reform agenda - the "Lisbon Agenda". But underpinnin it was not improving quality of life for the citizens of the EU, but becoming an economic bloc with capacity to challenge the US - the vision is largely restricted to becoming the "most competitive, knowledge-based economy in the world". This means greater liberalisation and privatisation, and the removal of "unnecessary restrictions" in the labour markets.

Where does our environment sit in all this? Where is sustainable development? This fundamental area is missing, despite the nice words of the Gothenburg council about Spring Summit being the Sustainability summit.

So, last year I commissioned a report from an NGO called Capacity Global to check 2 things:

i) whether the Social Inclusion and Employment guidelines and National Action Plans actually meshed
ii) where the Environment fits in to this

(read the report)

Why should it? - the question that is often asked is - what's job creation got to do with pollution? With this narrow view, the EU is never going to drag itself into a sustainable century.

We already have a whole set of targets and legal obligations established at EU and UK level:

i) Greenhouse gas emissions

· EU committed to a 15% reduction in its Green House Gas emissions by 2010, compared with 1990.

· UK committed to a 20% reduction of Green House Gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2010, and 60% of 1990 levels by 2050.

· In the UK, CO2 levels in 2001 were 6% less than 1990 levels. However, between 1999 and 2001 there has been a 2% increase in CO2 emissions. There is still a long way to go before the target of 20% reduction is going to be achieved.

ii) Renewables targets

· Renewable energy supplies approximately 6% of the EU's energy needs. The target is to double this by 2010. The EU Directive on renewables sets a legally binding target of 12% of energy consumption from renewables for the Community as a whole by 2010, of which electricity would represent 22.1%.

· UK Energy White Paper commits us to sourcing 10% of electricity from renewable sources by 2010, 20% by 2020, and 30% to 40% by 2050. In 2000, the UK sourced 1.3% of its electricity from renewable sources.

iii) Waste reduction

· EU wants to reduce the quantity of waste going to 'final disposal' by 20% from 2000 to 2010, and by 50% by 2050, with special emphasis on cutting hazardous waste.

· UK now legally requires that by 2010, every household in England must have at least two types of recyclable waste collected from their home. England recycles or composts 12% of its household waste - one of the lowest rates in Europe - target is to increase this to 25% by 2005/2006

· London - only 9% of London's municipal waste is recycled - one of the worst recycling rates in Western Europe. The Mayor has published Municipal Waste Management Strategy in an attempt to meet the government target of 25% by 2005.

iv) Building Energy Efficiency Targets

· EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings - aims to improve the energy performance of buildings within the EU. Member States have until January 2006 to implement into national law.

· Member States will need to establish a minimum energy performance requirement methodology and ensure that new buildings meet these requirements.

· New buildings with a floor area over 1000 m2 must consider alternative energy systems such as: renewable energy; CHP; district heating or cooling; heat pumps.

· Existing buildings with a floor area over 1000 m2 must undergo renovation to upgrade their energy performance to meet minimum requirements.

· Each building must have an energy performance certificate.

· UK expects to make half of its CO2 reductions through energy efficiency. Half of this again is planned to come from the housing sector. They have committed to revising the Building Regulations by 2005 to raise standards for energy efficiency in new buildings and refurbishments.

· The Home Energy Conservation Act requires all Local Authorities to achieve a 30% improvement in energy efficiency between 1995 and 2010. To be on track for such an improvement, Councils should have managed a 12% improvement by April 2002. The average improvement across London Boroughs by April 2002 was 10% with the lowest being 1.6% and half of the Councils failing to reach 10%.

· London's commitment in draft energy strategy

· 300,000 new energy efficient homes to be built over the next 15 years.
· 10,000 domestic photovoltaic (PV) schemes to be installed, and 100 PV applications on commercial and public buildings.
· 25,000 domestic solar water heating schemes by 2010.

The capacity of these targets to improve quality of life is enormous - reduce fuel poverty, create a cleaner environment, tackle climate change and develop a whole new army of jobs. We also know that the poorest people suffer from the worst environments and the resulting ill health - not meeting these targets will differentially impact the poorest and we'll have missed an opportunity. But how are we going to meet them?

· How many buildings in London alone will need upgrading?
· Who is going to be able to certify them?
· How many plumbers and electricians will be needed to maintain such modifications?

We need to put these things together and mean it! A safe and healthy environment is an important dimension of social inclusion: if we want to deliver a safe and healthy environment we need, amongst other things, to work out who and how we deliver it.

If we want to build the sustainable communities that John Prescott has spoken of for the Thames Gateway - do we have the skills to deliver and maintain different water management; energy efficient housing making full use of renewables etc. Could we deliver a "sustainable" Olympic games?

Not at the moment!

· The Electricity Training Association (ETA) predicted that the UK will need a three fold increase in demand for electrical engineers alone if the UK is to meet the 10% renewable energy target by 2010.

· There are currently 3836 full time employees in the UK renewable energy industry. Employment requirements are expected to rise to 9748 staff in 2010, representing a 250% increase in employment in the next seven years - an additional 5912 jobs.

· The Energy White Paper states that the nuclear sector alone is likely to absorb around 19,000 engineering graduates and skilled trades people over the next 15 years.

· London South Bank University educates about 45% of the UK's graduate level Building Services Engineers, In total, they have 300 students across producing 30 graduates a year. For the course to survive, London South Bank should be producing 100 graduates a year.

For sustainability targets to be met, property owners will need to have immediate access to "Yellow Pages" level of professionals who are qualified to assess green options

I know it is difficult to get people back in to training at their own cost and, especially if self-employed, but we need to think ahead and design sustainability into the training at the start as far as possible.