Established in 2004, the Sustainable Round Table (SDRT) is a representative body of Bermudians, selected by the Premier, whose role is to advise Government and assist in making recommendations to the Premier and Cabinet on ways to promote sustainable development in Bermuda.
Mr. Hodgson said the Roundtable was created with three major sustainable development goals in mind:
1. Promote public education and awareness of the need for sustainability.
2. Ensure that there is compliance with the principles of Sustainable Development.
3. Provide advice to the Premier and Cabinet.
According to Mr. Hodgson the definition of sustainable development can vary and although the concept is commonly applied to the environment it has countless applications.
"In the quest for a universally accepted definition the simplest is perhaps the one that says we shouldn't do anything in this generation that will compromise the ability of the next generation to make its own choices about development. "Nor by our actions make their choices more difficult to implement than would otherwise be the case but for the choices we have made," Mr. Hodgson said. He added: "But since every choice we make today will affect the choices that are made tomorrow it is perhaps a more realistic definition to say that sustainable development is development that has taken into account the impact of our decisions on the physical environment, the economic environment and the social environment sustainability is not just for tree-huggers."
While the concept of sustainable development is not new, Mr. Hodgson said that in recent years it has become more of an issue in Bermuda and other countries.
"As early as the 1600s, in the first decades of Bermuda's existence, we passed a law limiting the number of turtles that could be removed from the ocean because we didn't want the species to become extinct," he said. "However the term has come into the fore because so many decisions, both locally and internationally have been made without taking into account all of the ramifications of the decisions. World attention on sustainability peaked at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and development in Rio de Janeiro, the conference brought together officials from 179 world governments."
Since the UN conference much progress has been made said Mr. Hodgson.
"A further step towards Sustainable Development in Bermuda was taken in 2002 when Minister Dennis Lister attended the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg. 'It was after this conference, in 2004, that then Premier Alex Scott appointed the first members of the Sustainable Development Roundtable. "They were charged with drawing up a plan to ensure that all aspects of life in our community were considered when policy decisions were being made. "Or perhaps more to the point to identify those aspects of life in Bermuda which were obviously not taken into account when previous decisions had been made in the past. "And above all to ensure that corrective action was taken to ensure sustainability. I have had the honour of serving as Chairman of the Round Table since 2007."
He added: "The first year was mainly concerned with getting the Strategic Plan published. Since the work had already been done that wasn't a major undertaking although it was a necessary undertaking.
"Much more problematic is the need to see sustainable development institutionalised.
"By that we mean that Sustainable Development should become a feature in decision making that is not dependent on the interest or enthusiasm of any one or two individuals. It must be the automatic way of doing business".
