Events
-
21 February 2013
GCPH Seminar Series 9 Lecture 4 - Prof. James Curran
Location: The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU
View mapProfessor James Curran MBE
Chief Executive, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)“SEPA has been pursuing a radical change agenda for a number of years and still has some way to go. We believe we have a genuine contribution to make in creating a more sustainable society in Scotland. Maybe we are seen as the policeman holding up a hand and stopping traffic at the junction between environmental, economic and social issues. If so, then we want to turn that crossroads into a motorway interchange – effective, efficient, and swift, but the best designed interchange still requires the drivers to stick to the highway-code.
There is an imperative that civic society, businesses and individuals understand and appreciate the environment and begin increasingly to take personal responsibility for their impacts. We think that appreciation, and changing behaviours, will actually drive environmental, social and health improvements, as well as lasting economic growth: the multiple benefits we seek.”
In this lecture, Prof Curran outlined how SEPA is working to try to create this more sustainable Scotland. This includes changes to the way things are regulated and proposals on a new charging scheme, around citizen science and volunteering, on “Scotland's environment web"’ and around turning the ecosystems concept into a business model. He explained how these developments are linked to what they see as the needs and opportunities in Scotland for social inclusion and the resulting benefits for public health and sustainable economic growth.
Scroll down to view the seminar, listen again or view the presentation slides.