Sustaining an Eco-friendly Wales

The Hague Climate Change summit may have ended without agreement, but here in Wales the Year 2000 could prove to be momentous at least as far as the environment is concerned, writes BBC Wales's Environment Correspondent Roger Pinney.

In November the Welsh Assembly agreed a scheme for sustainable development.

Ex-Agriculture Secretary Christin Gwyther

It is now in the process of drawing up a plan to put the scheme into practice.

Sustainable development has become one of the key environmental concepts.

It can be understood as living in a way which does not use up natural resources.

Essentially, the idea is we should think of the needs of future generations as well as our own.

Among the things the assembly is looking at is energy efficient business units built from locally-sourced materials and so called eco-tourism projects.

Fuel protest: taxation issues

If the scheme works, Wales could end up leading the world in this.

Overall it has been a challenging year for the Welsh environment.

The debate over GM food came here with the planting of the first trial crop in Wales at Sealand in Flintshire.

This was to have political repercussions too as a factor which contributed to the removal of Christine Gwyther as agriculture secretary.

Arguments over windfarm development went on throughout the year, as they are likely to in 2001.

And the September fuel protest raised important questions about the government's taxation policy as well as its commitment to providing effective public transport.