What is Local Agenda 21?

It is the internationally agreed plan for sustainable development first developed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It is concerned with environmental ‘headline’ problems such as global warming, destruction of rain forests, acid rain, etc.

What are the Key Principles?

The key principles are partnership, integration, community involvement and sustainability.

What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development can be descibed as an outcome which is achieved by following two key principles:

• Ensuring that social, economic and enviornmental consequences of activities are considered
• Ensuring that a balance is achieved which enables current needs to be met without compromising the ability to meet future needs

Sustainable development is therefore not a purely enviornmental agenda but does require enviornmental issues to be considered alongside economic and social impacts.

What have we done and what are we doing in South Lanarkshire

In South Lanarkshire, we have established an LA21 Partnership Forum with support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Transco, Scottish Power, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, Strathclyde Police, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire. This group is supported by officer groups on waste, energy and travel. We have produced an LA21 strategy and action plan for 2004-07. This is delivering a range of projects and initiatives designed to make South Lanarkshire a cleaner, healthier and sustainable place.

South Lanarkshire Council, alongside Partners have prepared a Draft Sustainanble Development Strategy for South Lanarkshire and will work to develop the current LA21 Partnership Forum into a Sustainablity Partnership.

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