Dear OGP People,
One wee comment on the draft:
On page 17 the expression “sustainable development” has been applied to oil, gas and minerals.
If the definition of “sustainable development” is accepted as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, as I think it is reasonable to say that since oil and gas are widely regarded as non-renewable resources and our consumption at this present time means they cannot be used again in the future, perhaps “extraction” would be a better term. I guess it is possible that minerals could be developed sustainably if recycling is included. However, sustainability is not really the subject of this OGP.
This might sound like nitpicking, however, I think it is important from an educational point of view regarding the whole issue of “sustainability”.
I believe there is a very strong case for the point of view that “sustainable development” is being totally misused or misunderstood within the community. It is even possible to hear people talking about sustainable economic growth.
As an aside, it would be worth the PM’s Department to consider another OPG plan sometime in the not too distant future, i.e. the implementation of a goal that was deliberately left out of the SDGs, viz. an orderly transition from the growth economy to the steady state economy. We all know that we can’t have infinite economic growth on a planet of finite resources, even if it is called “inclusive economic growth” as outlined in the SDGs. Even economic growth on a finite island such as Australia has a limit.
When we see controversies between citizens and government over the environment, (coal seam gas, coal mining, national parks, water resources, etc), this transition is something that we need to start thinking about and planning for in order to maintain the cohesion of our society.
Apart from those thoughts, I have no further comments apart from thanking those involve in the implementation of the Plan so far.
Kind regards,
Phil Jones
(Convenor – SJ Around the Bay)