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New sustainable development figures show that in the last year Wales has increased its economic output, driven up its renewable energy production, recycled and composted more of its waste and improved the way it manages water.
The figures also show improvements in education performance in core subjects and at Level 4.
The data is part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing work to measure progress in key areas such as health, housing, jobs, crime, education and the environment. To achieve this the Welsh Government has set 44 Sustainable Development Indicators, and has pledged to annually publish progress against these indicators so that areas of success can be celebrated and areas where more work is needed, can be highlighted.
This year's figures reveal that 19 of the 44 indicators show clear improvement, 21 show little or no change and one shows a clear deterioration. The remaining three indicators could not be measured due to lack of data.
Speaking about this year's figures Environment Minister, John Griffiths said: "The Welsh Government is committed to putting sustainable development at the heart of everything it does. That means making decisions that are based on what is best for the long term future of Wales rather than short term fixes.
"These figures show that our efforts to improve waste management, increase the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources and drive up the energy efficiency of Welsh homes are generating real improvements and I am encouraged by our continued and steady improvement in some key areas.
"As always there is room for improvement and more work to do but the indicators give us a clear and useful picture of how we are progressing.
"We are currently working to strengthen our commitment to a more sustainable way of living. Legislation is one part of this process and for that reason we intend to introduce a Sustainable Development Bill. We believe this will set a clear direction for helping us build a Wales, and a public service that is more sustainable, in social, economic and environmental terms both now and for and future generations."
(CD/GK)
