This is a very important conference, trying to link international trends with local action.  Southampton [Hampshire] has an excellent record - no-one is ever good enough, but Southampton [Hampshire] is pretty good in terms of high recycling levels, and I have been learning since I have arrived about the benefits of geothermal energy, which is I think an innovation on which Southampton is also leading the way.

As someone who has to attend a large number of international meetings, I am only too aware of the importance of translating the decisions and commitments made at those meetings into practical action at the local level.

I therefore congratulate Hampshire County Council and all those involved in "Down to Earth" for taking the initiative to organise this conference to look at the most effective way to make the link between what is said at the conference table, whether that's in New York, or Nairobi, or wherever, and the action which is taken at the local level.

We are, of course, rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary, in 2002, of the Rio Conference which was the starting point for many of the international initiatives for Sustainable Development - Year Zero, if you like.  This will give us an ideal opportunity to assess the level of environmental change over that period - which is certainly not negligible but is disappointing in other respects - to take stock of our achievements and to consider the challenges ahead of us.

Now, although we have achieved, I think, a great deal, the need to find solutions to global environmental problems based on the principles of sustainable development remains as urgent as ever.  Since 1992 the pace of change has continued to accelerate.   the globalisation of world markets has increased.  The gap - which I am very concerned about - between the richest and poorest has widened and the pressures on the world's natural resources are as great as they have ever been.

You may have seen that UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, produced a document called Global Environment 2000 last week, which set out some telling conclusions.   For example: global water cycles cannot sustain the demands put on them by the exponential rise in world population; and, to give another example, on our current exploitation of consumption in this country, for every tonne which each of us consumes per year, about 11 tonnes is utilised in terms of raw material.  This is simply not sustainable. 

I accept that this does on the face of it seem a fairly gloomy prognosis. But there is also a positive message to come out of the report and a look at some of the successes we have achieved shows what can be done when we work together - a keynote theme of this conference. The ozone layer, for example, is expected to have largely recovered within half a century (this is a long time, but it will recover) as a result of the Montreal Protocol. Deforestation has been halted and reversed in parts of Europe and North America. And in a field which is close to many of you here, the report says that voluntary action taken by many of the world’s major industries is reducing resource use and eliminating waste - a recognition that what is good for the environment also very often makes sense for business. The report also recognises the increased awareness of the public and the role which popular movements can play in influencing decision making and it acknowledges in particular the role Local Agenda 21 has played in developing and implementing sustainable development policies that involve local communities and policy makers working together.

The twin messages are that we are running out of time to solve our environmental problems, but if we work together we can make real improvements. This is not just rhetoric - those are the facts. We should bear that point in mind in preparing for the follow up to Rio, at Earth Summit 3 in 2002.

Now many of you may think that 2002 is still a long way ahead. After all, we haven’t celebrated (or got past) the Millennium yet. But all events need careful preparation (particularly in a global sense) as I am sure the organisers of this conference know only too well. To make sure Earth Summit 3 is a success I think we have got to start working now.

• In Nottingham the City and County Councils set up a Commuters Planners Club of 47 public and private sector employers. The club helps them develop schemes to cut the resources used in journeys to work by encouraging car-sharing, cycling, car pooling and the use of public transport - something we’d like to see done everywhere.

• And here in Southampton the LA21 Sustainability Forum has helped expand the local scrap store which takes surplus materials from local businesses so they can be used by schools and playgroups. Volunteers on the scheme also refurbish white goods for needy households - it’s a small project but a very significant one for those involved and one that can grow.

Our commitment to the importance of sustainable development is recognised in the Beacon Councils scheme, which will select a small number of Councils to act as centres of excellence and as pace setters in the delivery of local services. This year we have invited applications for the sustainable management of waste. Beacons will go beyond efficient recycling and handling, and involve the community in minimising the amount of waste produced. That is the real aim - it is not recycling as opposed to landfill or incineration, it is waste minimisation that we vitally have got to try to achieve. This is an aim at the very heart of the issue of sustainable consumption. I am very pleased that no fewer than 38 applications have been made under this theme. I think that is a pretty good sign.

I hope that the review of the Rio process in 2002 will endorse the success of Local Agenda 21 and look at ways of developing it further, because it is patchy. Some is very good but some is not so good and I hope that during this conference you will help to develop ideas on extending Local Agenda 21 beyond 2002 - because of course that’s the first marker, but it’s the next decade after that that we should now be thinking of. In particular, making it relevant to those who live in developing countries - it’s not just about countries like the UK. I am keen to hear your ideas on the next steps.

Now, to talk about us, the UK launched its Sustainable Development Strategy, "A Better Quality of Life" in May and I hope you saw it at that time. It is a strategy which cuts right across Government to set sustainable development at the heart of decision making and Government policy. It is extremely ambitious, but nothing less will achieve our purpose. It is a recognition of the need for integrated policies which apply throughout Whitehall and we want to see in local government throughout the country. Integrated policies which cover not just environmental considerations but are woven into the social and economic objectives.

We have also developed a set of core indicators to measure progress - 14 of them. I’m very keen on this. I think people want to know the progress which we as a nation are making on a whole range, not just the economy but on social and environmental issues which are just as important. The whole point of these indicators is that it gives a nudge to government from people that things are not going in the right direction.

I am also pleased to tell you that the UK will be hosting a workshop in Newcastle in December on participation in decision making on environmental matters at the local level. Unless we have local commitment, and participation at local level, from all the members of the population, we will not succeed. This is part of our commitment to support the Aarhus Convention on Public Participation, that we agreed in Denmark last year. We hope to have representatives at that workshop in the UK from every country within Europe, including the former Soviet Union.

The conference will look at good practice in involving the public in, for example, LA21 plans and development plans, as well as specific decisions on projects covered by the new IPPC legislation. The result of the conference will be a source book of case studies designed to help promote good practice across the region, with a particular focus on countries in Central and Eastern Europe - it is there where most of the problems lie.

I think all of the initiatives I have described demonstrate the strong commitment of the United Kingdom to Sustainable Development. But I would like to reiterate the point I made earlier and which this conference aims to address - the vital role to be played by all stakeholders and the progress which can come from all stakeholders working together. The most effective progress comes through cooperation. There is an important role for competition but also for cooperation between public and private sector, national and local government, and of course between government and local communities.

The involvement of civil society is one of the most important aspects of the international debate on Sustainable Development. The role played by NGOs within the United Nations’ Commission for Sustainable Development is a very real achievement and a leading example of public participation within the United Nations system - to have ordinary representatives of voluntary organisations, campaigning organisations, effectively working within the great United Nations bureaucratic system is important. It has enlivened the debate about Sustainable Development and the new ideas and viewpoints which they have contributed have kept the process fresh and kept it moving forward. The preparations for Earth Summit 3 in 2002 must continue to make use of the involvement of NGOs. I am personally very keen on that.

Furthermore we should look at ways of increasing the involvement of the private sector, including small and medium enterprises in developing countries. Most of the finance flows in the world take place in the private sector. It is vital that they are brought more closely into the process.

22 September 1999