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Central government
The primary purpose of any central government is to ensure that a nation is sustainable. Government is the only institution in society that is clearly tasked to attend to the future. The complex, myriad and often competing sytems of economic, social and environmental activities and services must be balanced and controlled in such a way that the needs of citizens are met both now and in the future.
For this reason government must provide strong leadership, even if it is not popular in certain quarters, particularly those who think that the future can look after itself.
In particular central government is responsible for:
- Spending revenue wisely and efficiently
e.g. conserving energy, reducing waste, efficient processes and procedures, green building practices, whole-system thinking and strategy)
- Providing infrastructure and security
e.g. designing efficient public spaces, roads, public transport, civil defence etc
- Protecting the public resources through regulation and enforcement
e.g. creating conservation reserves, regulating pollution, health and safety regulations, resource management
- Creating a level playing field
e.g. no perverse subsidies and incentives, internalise costs to society by taxing pollution
- Protecting and helping people who need it
e.g. provide housing and other benefits
- Guiding us toward a better future
e.g. create awareness and information, encourage new behaviours, build social capital, provide incentives and grants for R&D, create audacious goals, reward successes, sustainability education, use purchasing policies to drive markets
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