Wales Shows Us the Way

In 2015, Wales (a country) passed a law called the Future Generations Act. And they made Sophie Howe the first Commissioner for Future generations in the World. Her job - make sure all government agencies consider the interest of future generations in everything they do. Doesn’t government always do that? Turns out the answer is No. Howe joined me for a conversation on a visit to Vermont to explain how the Welsh are doing things right - or at least better. When the Welsh government wants to build a new highway, they have to get the approval of the commissioner for Future generations. Howe didn’t have the power to veto anything. But she used the bully pulpit to force the highway agency to bring more facts to the table. The result? No highway and more government spending on bikeways and pedestrian priorities. Howe’s visit to Vermont was sponsored by a small group of UVM professors and activists uniting around the issue of well being, of forcing government agencies to consider the actual well being of the people before they act. Sounds easy, or revolutionary. Let’s listen to Sophie Howe explain it.