In the latest edition of the Charter’s With Compassion Podcast, Sophie Howe, the world’s first Future Generations Commissioner, talks about how Wales created a legal duty to protect people not yet born and why that matters for climate, inequality, transport, democracy, and public decision-making.The conversation shows how this helps create long-term political thinking and a policy shift away from short-term fixes that normally drives political They also discuss how this approach is spreading internationally and how compassion can extend beyond the present generation.

Key topics

* Sophie Howe explains the role of Future Generations Commissioner in Wales and how the office acts as a guardian for people not yet born.

* Wales became the first country in the world to pass a law in 2015 aimed at protecting future generations.

* The Welsh framework requires public bodies to make decisions that support seven long-term wellbeing goals.

* Jennifer Nadel and Sophie Howe discuss how climate, health, inequality, transport, and community are deeply connected rather than separate policy areas.

* Sophie shares the M4 road-building case, where a planned 13-mile motorway expansion was replaced with investment in public transport and active travel.

* The episode explores the idea of induced demand and why building more roads often fails to solve congestion long term.

* Sophie reflects on how short-term political cycles, electoral pressure, and cultural backlash can make future-focused governance harder.

* The conversation examines how future generations thinking can be framed differently for center-left and center-right audiences.

* Sophie describes the importance of including missing voices in decision-making, especially young people and indigenous perspectives.

* They discuss the growing global adoption of intergenerational fairness ideas across governments, institutions, and companies.

* Sophie argues that compassion means thinking beyond yourself and extending moral concern to future generations.

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