Future Generations: A Vision for a Prosperous Planet

Spring 2040: A Day in the Future UK

It’s April 2040. Our homes and communities are powered differently. The national grid is almost entirely decarbonised, and smart local grids balance supply and demand in real time. Rooftop solar panels are as common as roof tiles, and most homes generate and store some of their own energy. Heat pumps hum quietly in homes instead of gas boilers. Streets are quieter too—electric buses and EVs glide by, and many neighbourhoods prioritise walking and cycling over private car use.

Natural systems are showing signs of revival—but they’re fragile. Years of rewilding efforts are paying off: beavers have returned to river systems, hedgerows are thick with birdlife. Urban nature has been given space—green roofs, rain gardens, and wildflower corridors stitch cities together, offering shade and refuge. But it's a race against time. Some species have shifted north or vanished entirely. Others, like pollinators, are clinging on thanks to concerted habitat restoration and pesticide bans.

The mornings are warm—unseasonably so by 2020s standards. A spring day in London hits 22°C by midday. Further north, in cities like Glasgow and Newcastle, it’s 18–19°C and sunny, but the seasons have shifted subtly. Plants bloom earlier, pollinators emerge sooner, and farmers are trying to keep up with the new rhythms of spring. The weather is increasingly unpredictable. A stretch of dry, warm days is suddenly interrupted by intense rainfall. The air holds more moisture now—warmer temperatures mean heavier downpours, and flash flooding is a constant threat in low-lying areas.

Climate adaptation is now part of daily life. Schools teach children about carbon literacy, biodiversity, and climate justice as core subjects. Food systems are more local and seasonal—urban farms and community-supported agriculture schemes are mainstream. There’s a growing understanding that resilience means equity, community, and care, not just tech.

Spring in 2040 feels familiar, yet unmistakably different. There’s a quiet tension between hope and urgency. We’ve made progress—but the work isn’t done there.

Back to 2025 - where are we now?

The world is changing and although we can reduce the worst effects of climate change by acting fast, we will still need to adapt to the world we've already created. To achieve anything close to the harmonious vision depicted, society, businesses and government need to rethink policy design with future generations in mind. But what does this mean? The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) were one of the first globally adopted frameworks that set out a vision for peace and prosperity for people and planet. Since its adoption in 2015, it has served as a basis for many new policy approaches emerging that put the wellbeing of future generations at the heart of decision-making. But translating the ambitious and far-reaching goals into practice requires more than target setting. It demands a fundamental shift in how we think about time, responsibility, and value.

Wales: A Global Leader in Intergenerational Policy

Wales has pioneered this shift with its ground-breaking Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015). This legislation requires public bodies to consider the long-term impact of their actions across economic, social, environmental, and cultural dimensions. Rather than seeing growth as GDP-driven, Wales defines progress as creating "an innovative, productive and low-carbon society" with meaningful work and a healthy planet.

Key initiatives influenced by the Act include:

• Scrapping a major motorway project in favour of sustainable transport, prioritising those without access to a car.

• Establishing a hospital-owned solar farm saving £1M annually.

• Redesigning GCSEs to include eco-literacy and mental wellbeing.

  
  

These aren't just policy tweaks—they represent a reframing of government’s duty: from managing the now, to stewarding the future.

Global Momentum: New Models Emerging

Wales is not alone. Countries and regions worldwide are experimenting with sustainable long-term thinking:

• Scotland is committed to becoming a Wellbeing Economy, which aims to fundamentally reshape their economy to a net zero, nature-positive economy based on the principles of equality, prosperity and resilience.

• New Zealand adopted a Wellbeing Budget in 2019, prioritising mental health, child poverty, and climate resilience over short-term economic growth.

• Finland is expanding its government foresight system and evaluating laws through a future-impact lens.

• Japan’s “Future Design” movement involves citizens role-playing as future residents, dramatically altering policy choices toward sustainability.

• Lithuania now evaluates legislation based on long-term impact through its “Committee for the Future.”

• Both Ecuador and Bolivia have the alternative decolonial economic concept of 'Buen Vivir' inscribed into their constitutions (in 2008 and 2009 respectively). Difficult to directly translate, 'buen vivir' stems from indigenous teachings about collective well-being and the rights of nature. The concept has influenced strategic national policy, for example the National Plans for Good Living in Ecuador.

  
  

At the supranational level, the EU Commission appointed its first Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness in 2024, and the UN has created a Special Envoy for Future Generations and published the “Declaration for Future Generations.”

Around the world, citizens are starting to demand legacy thinking, participatory foresight, and governance that extends beyond the next election cycle. From the Maastricht Principles recognising the human rights of future generations, to interspecies river councils in the UK and simulations of degraded futures in the UAE—imagination is becoming a powerful tool for change.

We’re in a critical decade. While the challenges are immense, the foundations for long-term thinking are being laid. Institutional reform, alternative metrics, citizen assemblies, and new narratives are starting to align with the values at the heart of the SDGs: justice, dignity, resilience, and sustainability—for everyone, across time.

If we truly want to be good ancestors, it’s time to think bigger, longer, and fairer.

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Want to learn more about UKYCC's thinking on future generations? Head to our policy page to learn more about our vision for future generations and how you can get involved.