Intergenerational equity: creating a sustainable future for all generations

The unprecedented challenges we face today such as climate change, economic volatility, geopolitical shifts and rapid technology advancements require us to think beyond our own generation. The issue of intergenerational equity and its impact on sustainable development, resource management and climate action has never been more urgent.

How can we create a more equitable and sustainable world for people of all ages?

This question was recently at the centre of a dynamic conversation that brought together four domain experts – located across the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates – through a virtual panel discussion convened by global engineering firm, GHD.

Hosted by GHD Chief Executive Officer – EMEA, Simon Light and expertly moderated by global advisor and urbanist Professor Greg Clark, the event featured panellists with extensive backgrounds in the city-shaping and sustainable development sector: Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of the Council, Glasgow City Council; Nadia Verjee, Executive Director, Expo City Dubai; Jazmin Burgess, Director, Inclusive Climate Action, C40 Cities; and Fatma Abulhoul, Projects Manager, Dubai Future Foundation.

The panel discussion touched on the key findings of GHD’s CROSSROADS research, a wide-ranging study exploring intergenerational equity through an infrastructure lens, which surveyed more than 10,000 people across 10 countries. The study revealed diverse perspectives and insights on environmental concerns, cost of living pressures, and transportation challenges, among other findings, across generations and geographies.

The panellists shared strategies and initiatives to enable more equitable and sustainable outcomes throughout the discussion. These included the need for inclusive processes, engaging younger generations in decision-making, and urgently addressing climate change and inequality.

The importance of public education, collaboration, affordability and accessibility, and the use of new technologies and traditional wisdom in climate interventions are critical underpinnings to these strategies, they added.

In emphasising the crucial role of intergenerational equity, Councillor Aitken noted that social and economic inequities and climate change are disenfranchising a generation of young people.

“I think (there is) a generation of young people who are seeing and feeling this being done to them while they're denied the opportunity to make their voices heard. And then the real danger is that young people will simply disengage from democratic processes and from processes of delivering change,” she said.

In urging for major climate interventions, Councillor Aitken stressed, “Young people are going to feel the brunt of it even more than they are now. It's absolutely essential that we are able to address that generational inequity so that young people feel more and more that they have a stake in the process, that they have a stake in decision-making, that they are able to influence and be part of it.”

Achieving intergenerational equity is not an easy task, as it involves balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting interests and perspectives.

Drawing on her experience with C40 Cities, Burgess said an inclusive process brings different generations, especially younger and marginalised people, to voice their issues and solutions, and to find shared values and benefits.

By creating platforms and mechanisms for dialogue and breaking down perceived barriers, younger generations can be empowered to contribute their creativity, energy and technological skills.

“An inclusive process is really key to bringing people together and understanding that different people may have different perspectives or a different approach to things. But fundamentally, they may (also share) some of the similar ideals of what they want to have in the end,” Burgess said.

As a democratically elected public official, Councillor Aitken emphasised, “the single most important thing I can do is not simply do what is politically expedient and not respond just to the loudest voices, but to focus on the evidence and to focus on what the science tells us we need to do.”

To create a more sustainable future for all, the panellists explored a range of opportunities and initiatives such as:

• Public education: The panellists highlighted public education to raise awareness, understanding, trust and motivation among different groups. Public education can use various forms like campaigns and events and target different audiences to promote collaboration and action.


• Collaboration: Nadia Vergee from Expo City Dubai shared how intergenerational dialogue, inclusive policymaking and partnership platforms can foster sustainability. She cited examples from the World Expo and COP26, where different generations, businesses and policy makers interacted and learned from each other. She also demonstrated how creative thinking and innovation can be supported by enabling regulations and procurement contracts.
  
  “Policy regulatory forces are key impediments to driving action at scale. And so with our authority we have this enabling regulatory and legislative platform to address some of those structural challenges and concerns of each generational group. And by building that partnership platform, you de-risk through collaboration,” Vergee said.


• Affordability and accessibility: People's lives should improve with climate action, or they will prioritise other urgent issues like housing or basic needs. Affordability and fairness are key factors for public support. Communicating how intervention will address the needs and challenges of different groups and making infrastructure more inclusive and accessible are crucial. Burgess said, “You need to center affordability around how you tackle climate action, both to ensure that you have the space to do it, but also because it's the right thing to do and it meets people's concerns.”
  
  Verjee shared the Dubai experience and said that creating affordable and connected places that are productive, resilient and accessible means designing the city to be people-centric, pedestrian-friendly and intermodal. It leverages the ecosystem and drives change at policy, partnership and people level. “We look at our city really in layers. If you were to peel away the layers of the onion of the city at its core, how is human dignity valued?” she said.


• New technologies and traditional wisdom: The panellists emphasised the need to combine new technologies and traditional wisdom, as they offer both innovation and sustainability. New technologies can enhance efficiency, productivity and connectivity, while traditional wisdom can provide insight, guidance and values.
  
  Abulhoul shared, “For example, in the UAE, we've had examples of getting together the farmers and the fishermen that used to be in that field before and connecting them with the youth. So, (they’ve been) exchanging wisdom and connecting with the new technologies that have been coming up to speed. Other than that, here at the Dubai Future Foundation, we also do share some of the global opportunities when it comes specifically on having habitable planets and new technologies in that space.”
  
  “We also have our accelerators program which kind of push for these technologies, startups and SMEs to give them the support needed and to actually have these pilots here in the city. It's a mix of opportunities via technology, the humans and the right policy making,” she added.
  
  Restructuring financial models to support solutions that make the best use of technologies and adapt to diverse contexts is also essential. This includes creating solutions that are suitable for various climates and conditions to ensure their durability and resilience. “So how would we be financing these housing (projects) in the future… to make it affordable and accessible while having all the right materials?” Abulhoul pointed out.

To mitigate risks and create positive impacts, collaborative partnerships are essential, as they can spur innovation, enhance supply chains and foster sector growth.

In the pursuit of intergenerational equity and building sustainable societies, the panellists highlighted human dignity and inclusivity as being at the core of the challenge and the key role of leadership. They also urged for a just transition to a sustainable future that respects the rights and interests of all generations.

Professor Clark summed up the key messages of the panellists and shared his views. These are:

• Intergenerational equity is crucial to address risks to democracy and societal cohesion.
• Solutions should be inclusive, participatory, and leverage new technologies for efficiency.
• Practical solutions build confidence and trust, and partnerships are essential for sharing risks, costs, and rewards.
• Human dignity should be at the core, combined with wise leadership that considers the future and the entire planet.

Rounding up the event, Simon Light summarised his thoughts based on the panellists’ perspectives, and these are:

• The importance of building trust in leadership and effective communication for inclusive decision-making.
• The need for all generations to contribute ideas and participate in solutions, particularly in achieving a just and fair transition.
• The significance of focusing on evidence and trusting science to understand community needs and changing behaviours.
• The importance of life-centred, human-centred design to balance social, environmental, and economic values in decision-making.

Watch the full panel discussion for more on the strategic approaches shared by our panellists by going to CROSSROADS

To download and explore the CROSSROADS study, visit at CROSSROADS - Home (ghd.com)

Catch up on the full conversation watch on-demand CROSSROADS | EMEA (ghd.com)