Jonathon Porritt

picture of Jonathon Porritt

Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder and Programme Director of Forum for the Future, is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on sustainable development. Established in 1996, Forum for the Future is now the UK's leading sustainable development charity, with 70 staff and over 100 partner organisations, including some of the world's leading companies.Jonathon was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission in July 2000. This is the Government's principal source of independent advice across the whole sustainable development agenda. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of the South West Regional Development Agency since December 1999, and is Co-Director of The Prince of Wales's Business and Environment Programme which runs Senior Executives' Seminars in Cambridge, Salzburg, South Africa and the USA. In 2005 he became a Non-Executive Director of Wessex Water, and a Trustee of the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. He is also Vice-President of the Socialist Environment Resources Association (SERA). He was formerly Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90); co-chair of the Green Party (1980-83) of which he is still a member; chairman of UNED-UK (1993-96); chairman of Sustainability South West, the South West Round Table for Sustainable Development (1999-2001); a Trustee of WWF UK (1991-2005).

SNR/Prosperous Places/New Build

Included in the Queen’s Speech on December 3rd was the somewhat weirdly entitled “Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Bill”. It’s a funny little Bill, the wimpish outcome of 18 months of totally dysfunctional government process which should never have happened in the way that it did. This process has had huge implications for sustainable […]

January 5th, 2009 by Jonathon Porritt

Green at last? If only…

All sorts of things about the Pre-Budget Report are to be wholeheartedly welcomed – not least the Labour Party’s
re-discovery of the moral case for redistribution – or ‘fairness’, as they choose to describe it. Hang on in there
a little bit longer, and they’ll soon re-discover the concept of social justice.
More […]

December 1st, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

Population

I thought it might be interesting to share an article done recently for Greenpeace Business.
They have just told me that they can’t use it – too controversial, apparently. If ever an article’s core hypothesis (in this case, that environmental NGOs are both gutless and less than honest in addressing population issues) was borne out […]

November 17th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

Better ways of banking

In all the finger-pointing about the moral turpitude and defective judgement of the mainstream banks, we’ve heard mighty little about the banks that aren’t being bailed out or (as with Barclays) are desperately seeking new capital from China or the Middle East. So let’s just celebrate for a moment the inspiring success of the […]

November 3rd, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

Wind Power

The British Wind Energy Association held its 30th Anniversary conference last week – at the Excel Centre in Docklands. Two and a half thousand people taking part over three days. Huge exhibition. Gordon Brown did a video message, Nick Clegg a star turn. Outside, stock markets were plunging and pundits were reaching for ever more […]

October 30th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

What next for the economy?

Assuming that governments around the world have done just enough to rescue the global banking system (and it really did have to be done, however much it might stick in our gullets having to leave in place most of the Executives who drove us into this disaster in the first place), that’s just the start […]

October 30th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

The Death of CSR?

I wonder if the whole concept of CSR will become another victim of the banking crash? With great respect to those whose lives currently revolve around CSR one way or another, I sincerely hope so. For me, its become an increasingly empty and illusory notion anyway.
I rather thought CSR would demise a few […]

October 12th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

A very warm welcome to Thomas L. Friedman

At long last, after years of flirtatiously standing on the sidelines of the sustainability debate, he has now got properly stuck in with his new book Hot, Flat & Crowded. Great title: seriously good read.
Friedman has always been a seriously good author. Both “The Lexus and the Olive Tree,” and “The World is Flat” became […]

October 8th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

Scary Times

Living through the death throes of capitalism as we have known it over the last 20 years or so is proving to be quite an emotional experience!
One thing I’ve discovered is that there are only so many noughts I can cope with. As the downturn accelerates (if that’s what downturns do), millions, billions, trillions […]

October 8th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt

Energy Efficiency

Well, full marks to Gordon for squeezing an extra £900 million out of the big energy companies to help narrow the fuel poverty gap in the UK. In all, around £3 billion has now been identified for spending on home insulation over the next three years. I don’t think we should be too cynical about […]

October 8th, 2008 by Jonathon Porritt