Britain to get 400,000 low carbon jobs
The UK market for low carbon services and products is the 6th biggest in the world, according to figures released this week.
It was worth £107 billion in 2007-08 and is predicted to grow by a further £45bn in the next decade. It already employs 880,000 people in the UK and has the potential to provide a further 400,000 jobs.
The report was released to co-incide with the Low Carbon Industrial Summit in London, which was attended by Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson and Ed Miliband, and set out to map the UK's industrial priorities for "taking advantage of the new global low carbon economy".
The total global market is estimated at £3 trillion.
Despite his earlier dowsing with green custard, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson was able to comment: "Low carbon is not a sector of our economy, it is, or will be, our whole economy, and a global market. Today we are asking what more needs to be done to ensure these changes benefit the UK economy, and what needs to be done to equip British companies to compete for low carbon business in Britain and overseas."
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband added: "The shift to low carbon in the UK, and around the world is now largely inevitable. What is not inevitable is that Britain benefits industrially from the transition.
"We want to mobilise every bit of expertise and ingenuity that Britain has to offer. Moving to a low carbon economy is the way to secure the economic recovery."
The Government said its Low Carbon Industrial Strategy would aim for step change in energy efficiency to help consumers and businesses save money; provide the necessary energy infrastructure for a "low carbon future" in renewables, nuclear, Carbon Capture and Storage as well as a 'smart' grid.
It also wants to make sure that "our skills, infrastructure, procurement, research and development, demonstration and deployment policies make the UK the best place to locate and develop a low carbon business" and to make sure this is recognised internationally.
To read the full research, which was carried out by Innovas, and is entitled: 'Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an industry analysis' click here.