The Sustainable Development Commission has unveiled 19 ‘breakthrough ideas’ that it believes have the most potential to revolutionise the way people live while reducing our environmental impact. These include:
Making cycling mainstream – making the bicycle the mainstream mode of transport for trips of less than five miles
From ‘Pre-Pay’ to ‘Pay-As-You-Save’ – Financing home energy efficiency measures through an innovative system where householders pay for improvements through consequent energy savings
Incredible Edible Communities– increasing the amount of local food grown and eaten within the community
Cap and Share – suppliers of fossil fuels to buy permits for their greenhouse gas emissions before selling the fuel, with the proceeds shared between all citizens, who have the choice of whether or not to sell their permits
Algae and carbon capture – using fast-growing algae to absorb the CO2 given off by the industrial burning of fossil fuels
The ‘breakthrough ideas’ were announced at a high profile event in London where SDC chairman Jonathon Porritt used his speech to criticise the British government for dragging its heels and slowing national progress towards sustainability.
“Progress on sustainable development, at the national level, has been slow,” said Porritt. “Yet all over the country, there are people taking action to make their own communities more sustainable, driving forward technological innovations, and pushing the policy agenda with really big ideas. Some of the Breakthrough ideas we’ve selected represent cutting-edge innovation and imagination; others are familiar but powerful ideas whose time has come.”
The SDC’s Breakthroughs for the 21st Century project sets out to identify the ideas which could make the biggest impact on the UK’s efforts to tackle climate change, resource depletion and inequality. Almost 300 ideas were submitted by the public, businesses, academics, and sustainability professionals of which 19 were selected by SDC Commissioners as potential Breakthroughs.