Preface by Professor Sir Richard Southwood (co-chairman)

In its first year, the Round Table has explored its method of working and reviewed some major sectors of development. Within the latter, it has sought to identify particular and defined aspects where its recommendations might aid progress towards sustainability. On their own, many of these steps would be modest; but cumulatively, their impact could be significant.

The Round Table has not sought to produce its own detailed definition of sustainable development, but worked generally within the framework of the Brundtland Commission's definition: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs¹ . This framework has environmental, economic and social components. The challenge is to continue to improve the overall quality of life worldwide without using resources in such a way that their availability in the future is permanently impaired, so preventing the attainment of opportunities available at present. Such a process involves seeking to meet basic aspirations in society throughout the world.

People aspire to lead more rewarding and comfortable lives. In the past few years in some countries, the near automatic link between economic growth and energy consumption has been broken - although there is still more to be done to encourage energy efficiency. A challenge now is to achieve the same result in other sectors, such as waste, or - most urgent of all - transport.

Sustainable development requires action by all sectors of society over varying timescales. It includes at one extreme the daily decisions of individuals and households - to use the bus or cycle rather than take the car; to sort rubbish for recycling - and, at the other, international cooperation to tackle problems such as global climate change.

On the basis of the Round Table's own experience in its first year, it is not difficult to establish consensus on the need to secure sustainable development, and on the general principles relevant to achieving this. Furthermore, sometimes economic, environmental and social benefits can all be gained simultaneously: energy efficiency measures are a good example. But some conflict may be inevitable between development pressures strongly based in consumer preferences and assessments of environmental capacities derived from scientific or ethical considerations. Here our role may only be to identify clearly the differences in view, and search for scope to reduce the conflict, at least in the longer term, by redesigning the policy or the process. For example, our ability to meet the economic and social need for access to goods and services with less need to travel will be a crucial test of the nation's ability to secure a more sustainable transport sector.

Sustainable development is a continuous process - a journey, not a destination. The key requirement is that we should always be moving in the right direction.

Moving into our second year I hope that we can build on our achievements. We need to make the Round Table a body whose voice is heard in debate on the central issues concerning the sustainable development of the United Kingdom in a world environment.