Well-being Of Future Generations Research Articles

Wainganga River Back Water Environmental Impact Assessment in Gose Dam

The construction of Gose Dam along the Wainganga River has given rise to a significant backwater area, prompting a comprehensive assessment of its environmental impacts. This multidisciplinary study examines ecological, hydrological, and socio-economic dimensions to unravel the complexities of the altered ecosystem. Ecological analyses reveal shifts in habitat structure, biodiversity, and water quality, while hydrological assessments scrutinize changes in flow patterns, sediment dynamics, and flood regimes. Socio- economic investigations explore the ramifications on local communities, including shifts in livelihoods and land use practices. Through field surveys, remote sensing techniques, and stakeholder consultations, this assessment aims to inform evidence-based decision-making and facilitate the implementation of sustainable management practices. By elucidating both challenges and opportunities, this study contributes to the conservation of the Wainganga River ecosystem, ensuring its resilience and well-being for future generations.

Place-leadership and power in the futures domain: the case of Euskadi 2040

ABSTRACT In an era when uncertainty and complexity are more tangible than ever, decision-makers are under pressure to turn from short-term politics and departmentalization to safeguard not only current wellbeing but also the wellbeing of future generations via longer term planning and visioning. In regions, as multilevel governance systems, no actor has the power to determine the decisions of others. Place leadership demands the mobilization of different actors to define an effective strategy for future development, by combining institutional, interpretive and network power in a dynamic manner. This paper reflects on how leadership and power shape shared vision in regional foresight processes, and the role of academic knowledge. We conduct an in-depth single case study analysis of ‘Euskadi 2040’, the visioning initiative launched by the Basque regional government in collaboration with the research institute Orkestra. We articulate five main contributions of research institutes: facilitating the systemic character of the vision; incorporating academic action-oriented knowledge; supporting the divergence from traditional linear planning paradigms towards flexible learning-centred approaches to policy; promoting an interinstitutional and multi-agent shared discourse; and lastly, leveraging knowledge transfer within international networks.

Pacific Islands Families Study: Food insecurity during pregnancy and secondary school educational achievement

The nutritional environment in early life is a key factor for brain development and function. It is important to understand the relationship between early life nutrition and academic achievement in adolescence. The Pacific Islands families (PIF) birth cohort(1) were born in the year 2000. When their child was 6 weeks old mothers were asked questions concerning food security over the last year. Two binary measures of food security were derived as previously used in PIF and also by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Records of academic achievement for 649 youth were obtained from the National Certificate of Educational Achievement database in 2019. Highest qualifications and a composite ranking score allowed achievement to be assessed at levels 1, 2 and 3 of NCEA and for University Entrance (UE, lowest to highest). More females (27%) than males (18%) achieved UE as their highest qualification and more males (40%) than females (31%) achieved level 1 or 2 as their highest qualification. UE was achieved by 25% of those born into food secure households and 17% from food insecure households. Logistic regression demonstrated that being female increased the odds of achieving UE 1.8 fold and food security a further 1.6 fold. The prevalence of food insecurity was not different by sex but high at 29% and 42% using the PIF and MOH measure of food insecurity respectively. This work emphasises the importance of maternal and early life food security for subsequent academic achievement and the well-being of future generations.

The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024

Abstract The Welsh Government’s policy on noise and soundscape is underpinned by two key pieces of legislation: the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024. The former established our national well-being/sustainable development goals and five ways of working that public bodies should follow in order to achieve them. The latter requires Welsh Ministers to set out their soundscape policies in a national strategy and requires public authorities to have regard to the policies in that strategy when carrying out their functions. The intent of this article is to raise international awareness amongst soundscape researchers as to how one devolved nation has incorporated the concept of soundscape in its policies and legislation and hopefully encourage the further development and dissemination of soundscape assessment and design tools that enable practitioners to better implement those policies.

An Alarming Decline in the Nutritional Quality of Foods: The Biggest Challenge for Future Generations' Health.

In the last sixty years, there has been an alarming decline in food quality and a decrease in a wide variety of nutritionally essential minerals and nutraceutical compounds in imperative fruits, vegetables, and food crops. The potential causes behind the decline in the nutritional quality of foods have been identified worldwide as chaotic mineral nutrient application, the preference for less nutritious cultivars/crops, the use of high-yielding varieties, and agronomic issues associated with a shift from natural farming to chemical farming. Likewise, the rise in atmospheric or synthetically elevated carbon dioxide could contribute to the extensive reductions in the nutritional quality of fruits, vegetables, and food crops. Since ancient times, nutrient-intense crops such as millets, conventional fruits, and vegetables have been broadly grown and are the most important staple food, but the area dedicated to these crops has been declining steadily over the past few decades and hastily after the green revolution era due to their poorer economic competitiveness with major commodities such as high-yielding varieties of potato, tomato, maize, wheat, and rice. The majority of the population in underdeveloped and developing countries have lower immune systems, are severely malnourished, and have multiple nutrient deficiency disorders due to poor dietary intake and less nutritious foods because of ignorance about the importance of our traditional nutrient-rich diets and ecofriendly organic farming methods. This critical review emphasizes the importance of balance and adequate nutrition as well as the need to improve soil biodiversity and fertility: those are main causes behind the decline in nutritional density. There is also emphasis on a possible way out of alleviating the decline nutritional density of food crops for the health and well-being of future generations.

Philanthropy Fever from Below: On the Possibilities of a Good Life in Late-Socialist China

Abstract For ordinary people in late-socialist China, the good life seems to be singularly shaped: in the future and the elsewhere, it is oriented toward one's own well-being and the well-being of future generations. This article aims to open up discussion about the different possibilities that ordinary people have for shaping a good life, despite and within the restrictions caused by their limited possession of power or wealth. The exploration draws from my long-term ethnographic fieldwork on caogen gongyi 草根公益 (grassroots philanthropy) in southeast China. It shows that care for the well-being of people beyond one's immediate family in the form of organized charity and volunteerism offers opportunities for many ordinary people with limited resources to engage socially and politically in ways that are central to their experience of the good life in contemporary China. Unlike the better-off philanthropists and volunteers, whose philanthropic activities tend to enhance their status and dominance, the ordinary people presented in this article experience major tensions between providing for their family and caring for others in society, between ensuring the material conditions of the good life and being able to live an ethical life as a contributing member of society and to be socially recognized for doing so. Hence pursuing the good life can require extremely hard work and be emotionally draining for many ordinary people. Philanthropic engagement does not lead to substantial and sustainable material returns, yet the creative imaginations and public actions of ordinary people open up possibilities for valorizing life in social arenas, despite and within the prevailing economic valorization of life.

Navigating dilemmas: Chinas environmental policies and their implications for climate change, resource management, and future generations

This research paper critically examines Chinas role as the worlds largest emitter of carbon dioxide and its pivotal position in global climate change mitigation efforts. The analysis encompasses Chinas environmental policies initiated since 1979, formally approved by the legislative body, the NPC, in 1989. Though significant economic developments were made since the countrys reform and opening in 1979, it is acknowledged that this progress has been accompanied by substantial environmental degradation. In response, the government amended environmental laws in 2014, reflecting a commitment to address these challenges. However, this paper contends that substantial efforts are still required to achieve meaningful environmental improvement. The research further delves into the anticipated impacts of Chinese policies on crucial aspects, namely Climate Change, Resource Management, and the well-being of Future Generations, providing comprehensive insights into the multifaceted implications of Chinas environmental trajectory.

Shifting towards a Well-being Economy in Wales for a fairer, sustainable and healthier society

Abstract Wales, and other nations globally, face long-standing challenges such as climate change and on-going impacts of the pandemic. This has increased persisting health inequities, widening the health gap and putting health and social systems and other public services under even more pressure. Economic models that prioritise growth and profit over well-being of societies and the planet underpin these developments, this is unsustainable and threatens human, economic and planetary well-being. New political imperatives are emerging across Wales that foster new collaborations and innovative, sustainable and inclusive solutions that shift towards a Well-being Economy, creating shared and co-created well-being for current and future generations. Health is key component to create a Well-being Economy in Wales and is a driver and beneficiary. Public Health Wales’ work has been focused around the social determinants of health taking a holistic approach enabling cross-sector responsibility for health to shift to a Well-being Economy. Wales has created an enabling legislative environment with the (i) Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) underpinning all public body decisions, (ii) created a strong Foundational Economy and (iii) established a Future Generations Commissioner that encourages public bodies to take greater account of the long-term impact of their decisions. Metrics were implemented that go being Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) and monitor well-being outcomes in all sectors decisions. Welsh culture and language has been vital to create a sense of belonging and community cohesion building trust and healing social fractures. Shifting towards a Well-being Economy in Wales takes a whole of systems approach, working across sectors at all levels. A variety of mechanisms such as legislations, metrics, accountability measures and participation takes the approach forward. Public health appears to be a driver, co-creator and beneficiary in the approach. Key messages • Re-envisioning the economy in Wales towards a Well-being Economy is crucial to improve health and well-being and tackle inequalities. • Wales’ Well-being Economy approach has created a national cultural change at all levels that focuses on co-created well-being for all.

Pacific Islands Families Study: Household Food Security during Pregnancy and Secondary School Educational Achievement.

Nutritional environment in early life is a key factor for brain development and function. It is important to understand the relationship between nutrition in early life and academic achievement in adolescence. The birth cohort of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF) study was born in the year 2000. When their child was six weeks old, mothers were asked questions concerning food security over the past year. Two binary measures of food security were derived as previously used in PIF and also by the Ministry of Health (MOH). In 2020, records of academic achievement from the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) for 649 (317 female, 332 male) cohort members showed progressive achievement at levels 1, 2, and 3 of NCEA and allowed University Entrance (UE) to be assessed. The prevalence of food insecurity was not different for sex but high at 29% and 42% using the PIF and MOH definitions of food insecurity, respectively. More females (27%) than males (18%) achieved UE as their highest qualification, and more males (40%) than females (31%) achieved NCEA levels 1 or 2 as their highest qualification. UE was achieved by 25% of those born into food-secure households and 17% from food-insecure households. Logistic regression demonstrated that the odds of achieving UE were 1.8-fold (95% CI 1.2, 2.6, p = 0.003) higher in females than males and, independently, 1.6-fold (95% CI 1.1, 2.5 p = 0.026) higher if the household was food secure. This work emphasises the importance of maternal and early-life food security for subsequent academic achievement and the well-being of future generations.

The Sustainability Concept: A Review Focusing on Energy

The concept of sustainability, with a focus on energy, has emerged as a central tenet in addressing the mounting global challenges of environmental degradation and resource depletion. Indicators of sustainability focusing on energy are crucial tools used to assess and monitor progress toward achieving a more sustainable energy system. These indicators provide valuable insights into the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of energy practices and their long-term impacts. By analyzing and understanding these indicators, policymakers, businesses, and communities can make informed decisions, formulate effective policies, and steer their efforts toward a more sustainable energy future. These indicators serve as navigational guides, steering the world toward energy practices that support both present needs and the well-being of future generations. In this paper, the concept of sustainability and measurement indexes used are reviewed, focusing on energy factors. The focus of the discussion presented here is related to an assessment of the possibilities for improving energy efficiency and evaluating the indicators that are used to measure whether the desired levels of sustainability are being achieved.

O.1.3-1 Senior stakeholder views and experience of cross-sector engagement and collaboration to improve long-term health and wellbeing in Wales

Abstract Purpose We aimed to explore the challenges and opportunities to developing and implementing a strategic long-term national physical activity, health and wellbeing strategy. Wales has created innovative legislation through the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (WBFGA) and continues to drive progress on long-term strategies for health and wellbeing, with physical activity as a key outcome. Methods Senior stakeholders (n = 11) that held leadership roles within the sport, environment, central/ local government, healthcare and public health participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews (July - September 2022). The interviews were transcribed and analysed through Braun & Clarke’s (2014) thematic analysis using NVivo software. Results The major themes related to: influencing within and outside the leaders’ own organisation; advocating long-term health strategies; protecting the allocated resources to long-term health outcomes from short-term pressures; and disruptive changes such as Covid-19 and government election cycles. The participants felt that physical activity is relevant to multiple strategies and departments within government, so resources should be “pooled together” across central government budgets to meet the needs of the populations and deliver on long-term strategies. Spanning sector and organisation boundaries was viewed as essential by all senior leaders and some noted that partnerships should be led with purpose and authenticity. The innovative WBFGA was mentioned as the key facilitator for creating shared accountability and a shared vision for Wales. The relatively small size of Wales was noted as an additional facilitator to forging positive and long-standing relationships with individuals and organisations. The participants recognised a key element of their leadership role which was engaging and collaborating with strong intent and authenticity. Conclusions The value and role of spanning boundaries to promote and establish long-term strategies for physical activity, health and wellbeing remains largely uncaptured and not well understood. This study contributed to understanding the perspectives of senior leaders, from diverse sectors, on developing and implementing long-term health strategies. The contemporary shift towards whole systems approaches and long-term partnerships to deliver healthier future generations, will require better understanding of what works for engaging wider stakeholders and maintaining momentum to a shared agenda.

Social bias, not time bias

People seem to have pure time preferences about trade-offs concerning their own pleasures and pains, and such preferences contribute to estimates of people's individual time discount rate. Do pure time preferences also matter to interpersonal welfare trade-offs, including those concerning the welfare of future generations? Most importantly, should the intergenerational time discount rate include a pure time preference? Descriptivists claim that the intergenerational discount rate should reflect actual people's revealed preferences, and thus it should include a pure time preference. Prescriptivists claim that the intergenerational discount rate should be based on moral analysis, and thus they (often) claim that the rate of pure time preference should be zero. I argue that regardless of which view is correct, a focus on pure time preference is misplaced. First, the most plausible interpretation of descriptive preferences for intergenerational trade-offs is that people are socially biased and not time biased. Second, social bias is superior to time bias as a prescriptive reason to discount the welfare of future people. Third, recent advances in measuring social bias as a social discount rate make social bias a viable replacement for time bias in economic analyses of intergenerational welfare trade-offs.

Vaping Among Adolescents: An Overview of E-Cigarette Use in Middle and High School Students in India.

E-cigarette use among middle and high school students has become a growing public health concern in recent years. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among adolescents has increased dramatically, and there are serious health risks associated with this behavior. This review article provides an overview of e-cigarette use in middle and high school students, including the prevalence of use, contributing factors, health effects, policies and regulations surrounding e-cigarette use in schools, and interventions for preventing e-cigarette use in adolescents. The article highlights the need for effective prevention and cessation programs, increased public awareness about the risks of e-cigarette use, and stronger regulations on e-cigarette products. Addressing e-cigarette use among youth is critical for protecting the health and well-being of future generations, and it is important for parents, educators, healthcare providers, and policymakers to work together to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among adolescents and promote healthy behaviors.

Transgenerational Inheritance and Systemic Racism in America.

It is well established that personal experiences of trauma, adversity, and discrimination can "get under the skin" and increase risk for a whole host of negative mental and physical health outcomes. The aim of this article is to review emerging research on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance which suggests that negative exposures in one generation, can also be passed down to affect the health and well-being of future generations. This paper reviews key concepts in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance research, select animal and human studies examining the role of epigenetic mechanisms in transmitting the impact of ancestral stress and trauma, poor nutrition, and toxicant exposure across generations, and factors that can mitigate the effects of these experiences. The animal studies provide compelling evidence for a role for these mechanisms in the transmission of the negative effects associated with ancestral adversities. Animal and clinical studies also suggest that the negative impact of personal and ancestral traumas can be prevented, with a role for in humans for evidence-based trauma treatments, culturally adapted prevention and intervention programs, and enrichment opportunities strongly indicated. Although comparable definitive data is lacking in multigenerational human cohorts, preliminary data supports a potential role for transgenerational epigenetic mechanisms in explaining persistent health disparities in the absence of personal exposures, and further elucidation of these mechanisms may guide the design of novel interventions. In addressing ancestral traumas, however, true change and healing will require acknowledgement of the harms that were done, and broader systemic policy level changes.

Intergenerational Deliberations for Long Term Sustainability

Grŵp Cynefin, a social housing association in North Wales, United Kingdom (UK) with other partner organisations, had a vision to create a community Hub in the Nantlle Valley to strengthen and support the health and well-being of the local community through the provision of a range of traditional and preventative services. Social prescribing (SP), which is a non-medical support using community assets, would be a part of this new innovative Hub. SP activities would be co-designed and co-produced by current community members. Drawing on the principles of citizens’ assembly deliberations and Future Design, four focus groups (n = 16) were conducted to develop sustainable strategies for SP activities as part of the proposed Hub. Deliberations on the perspectives of future generations were considered along with current community needs. Findings from the focus groups imply that current members of society are open to the concept of taking an inter-generational approach when designing SP activities to address the social and economic needs of the community along with integration of traditional and preventative community health services. Deliberations highlighted that the proposed Hub could strengthen communities and support community health and well-being, by providing a place to socialise and acting as a single point of access for community services, which could promote social cohesion in line with the Well-being for Future Generations (Wales) Act. Applying a long-term thinking approach to citizens’ assembly deliberation design offers a voice to the interests of future generations, providing inter-generational equity.

The responsibility of a scientist who is also performing a political function

The article discusses the philosophical foundations of ethical responsibility. It ponders the question whether scientific progress should be associated with an unlimited degree of freedom to conduct research. It discusses in detail the distinction between responsibility in the formal sense and material sense introduced by Hans Jonas. It considers several examples of the similarities between politics and science as disciplines and elaborates on aspects which connect them. It treats Kant’s notion of the categorical imperative as a point of departure towards exploring the boundaries of political responsibility verses individual responsibility. It subsequently goes on to ask the question whether scientists and politicians are faced with a greater sense of responsibility towards the wellbeing of future generations. Finally, it analyses the example of the Environment Minister and later Secretary of State Jan Szyszko, who is also an entomologist and a researcher of animal population. It aims to establish whether his conduct as a minister was influenced by the and values he attained as a member of the scientific community.

Chrononutrition—When We Eat Is of the Essence in Tackling Obesity

Obesity is a chronic and relapsing public health problem with an extensive list of associated comorbidities. The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled over the last five decades and continues to pose a serious threat to wider society and the wellbeing of future generations. The pathogenesis of obesity is complex but diet plays a key role in the onset and progression of the disease. The human diet has changed drastically across the globe, with an estimate that approximately 72% of the calories consumed today come from foods that were not part of our ancestral diets and are not compatible with our metabolism. Additionally, multiple nutrient-independent factors, e.g., cost, accessibility, behaviours, culture, education, work commitments, knowledge and societal set-up, influence our food choices and eating patterns. Much research has been focused on 'what to eat' or 'how much to eat' to reduce the obesity burden, but increasingly evidence indicates that 'when to eat' is fundamental to human metabolism. Aligning feeding patterns to the 24-h circadian clock that regulates a wide range of physiological and behavioural processes has multiple health-promoting effects with anti-obesity being a major part. This article explores the current understanding of the interactions between the body clocks, bioactive dietary components and the less appreciated role of meal timings in energy homeostasis and obesity.

Curating with Communities for Well-being: Exploring an Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales Biocultural Collection through Community Workshops

Biocultural collections include specimens of plant and animal origin, artefacts and documentation. They are important resources for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity, as well as for education and research. Curation of biocultural collections at Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales is underpinned by the unique legislative framework, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). This article presents the findings of a series of six workshops with a range of community groups invited to discuss how the Amgueddfa Cymru Economic Botany Collection can build public understanding of biodiversity and fulfil its well-being duty. Findings indicate participant interest in the collection as a resource that can support learning about the multiple values of plants, the diverse cultural heritage linked to plants and the community connections the collection can support, including within and across cultures, practices and places.

Well-being and language: language as a well-being objective in Wales

ABSTRACT Increasingly, it is recognised that the opportunity to engage with one’s own culture and language is beneficial for an individual’s well-being. Research among indigenous communities in North America, Australia, Scandinavia, and New Zealand, have illustrated the importance of culturo-linguistic congruity. In Wales, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 has come to define the political and legal pursuance of well-being. A unique piece of legislation, this legally mandates all Welsh public bodies to demonstrate they are working to achieve all seven well-being goals established by the Act. Echoing the conclusions of existing research, one identified well-being objective is the promotion of Welsh culture and the Welsh language. Taking account of the current nature of Welsh language provision within the Welsh National Health Service (NHS), the purpose of this paper is to briefly assess the extent to which the Welsh NHS is in a position to facilitate the well-being objective of ensuring service users have an opportunity to utilise the Welsh language. Despite the ambitions of the legislation, it will be argued that the Welsh language is largely absent from the well-being objectives outlined by local health boards.

P01-14 National policy response to the Sustainable Development Goals: a physical activity case study of Wales

IssuePopulation level changes in physical activity (PA) may benefit from policy intervention. In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Wales introduced legislation (the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015) to holistically improve health and well-being, including the translation of national policy into practice. This audit provides a case study approach that could be replicated by researchers in other countries to appraise the role of PA actions in national and sub-national policies.DescriptionAn audit of policies published by national and sub-national public bodies between 2015 and 2020 was conducted. The list of identified policies was reviewed by an external panel to act as a ?critical friend? to verify its inclusiveness. Content of the policies were extracted and synthesised to determine: (i) how many policies included a PA action; (ii) what the drivers of those policies were; (iii) the content of the PA actions; and (iv) how the PA actions aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.ResultsA final list of 73 policies was obtained. Only 16 national-level documents had a PA action, which had been published by 4/13 public bodies (who are bound by the Act). Of the 19 sub-national well-being policies, 15 included PA actions. Most policies were considered reactive and varied in terms of the clarity and specificity of the actions, the assignment roles/responsibilities, and the setting of targets; all overarching principles which can be used to strengthen national and sub-national policy in the future. The most common theme of action across the national-level documents was the broad action of PA promotion, which was identified in nine of the 16 documents. The actions within the national-level documents were reflected in the sub-national well-being plans.LessonsThis research used a novel approach to assess alignment of policies related to PA and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Wales. It provides an overview of the current status of policy related to PA in Wales, which can be used in manifestos and frameworks to shape the subsequent actions of public bodies.Main messagesThis case study provides a valuable example of how to utilise PA to address broader health and wellbeing agendas, and specifically the SDGs. It also demonstrates an approach to achieving stronger connections between national and sub-national policy to support the translation of policies into practice.