What’s Going On Here?

After weeks of coverage of severe climate disasters and the world’s leading climate scientists delivering their starkest warning yet, stating that major climate changes are inevitable and irreversible, we all are ready for some GOOD NEWS – so let’s clear the stage for some updates on the UK’s green revolution! 

What Does This Mean?

Last month, the Independent Green Jobs Taskforce announced that every UK job has the potential to be green and issued a call to action on how the UK can deliver a green industrial revolution. The idea is that having government, business and the education sectors working together will make our green economy dream work and consequently create sustainable jobs and improve people’s quality of life.

According to a new report, the UK’s low carbon and environmental goods and services sector (LCEGS) is estimated to be worth more than £205 billion, that’s already four times the size of the country’s manufacturing sector and growth is expected to accelerate further in the coming years. Their analysis also found that there are now more than 75,700 businesses in the country’s green and low carbon economy, ranging from wind turbine manufacturers to recycling plants, with more than 1.2 million people employed in the sector between 2020 and 2021.  From regenerative and organic farming methods becoming more popular to water from abandoned mine shafts that will heat 1,500 new homes. Another great example is Dogger Bank, a north-east England project that is on course to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm in a region built on coal.

Want more great news? The Green Alliance think tank found that prioritising the repair and reuse of manufactured goods could create more than 450,000 green jobs, if the government is able to spur a circular economy where waste is minimized and the value of resources retained.

Why Should We Care?

The government has been widely criticised for its failure to set out detailed policy proposals to meet its ambitious climate targets. Their current national programme of transformation and ad hoc nature of the UK’s low carbon economy sees some sectors and regions racing ahead while others are being left behind. This has raised fears that existing inequalities could be entrenched unless the government sets out a clear plan.

Experts conclude that every player must be given a direct role in the process to be successful – from trade unions to local authorities and communities to ensure the move to a green economy is rapid and fair, and more great examples can follow – especially for areas that are dependent on high carbon industries.

The kMatrix report’s author, Sarah Howard, said that “by examining the full extent of the low carbon economy from the grassroots up, (this data) shows us just how important it already is for the UK economy and the progress already made.“ 

Be Curious!

  • Follow the campaign group Green New Deal UK and join your local hub to support their plan on building a movement that decision-makers can’t ignore.
  • Continue to see recycling as a last resort and promote the reuse and repair of items within your home, community and online.
  • Curious to find out more about how we can build a circular economy? Listen to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s The Circular Economy Show Podcast.
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