Prime Minister says energy efficiency will be 'motor of green growth'
Mon 04 February 2013
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In a significant intervention, the Prime Minister said that the UK must priorities growth in "green industries" such as energy efficiency and renewable energy. Mr Cameron has recently been criticised by environmentalists for taking a low key approach to environmental issues and has also come under fire from Conservative critics who have campaigned for the watering down of climate targets. In a separate development an amendment to the Energy Bill proposes the early setting of an electricity decarbonisation target for 2030.
Speaking at the launch of an energy efficiency programme in early February, Mr Cameron said (quoted in UK Government Online) that "to those who say we just can't afford to prioritise green energy right now, my view is we can't afford not to".
He said the "green deal" loan scheme launched in January, which has attracted criticism for high interest rates and upfront fees, would cut carbon emissions and bills, and create jobs.
"Make no mistake, we are in a global race and the countries that succeed in that race, the economies in Europe that will prosper are those that are the greenest and the most energy-efficient. Energy consumption is set to grow by a third over the next two decades alone. And in a race for limited resources it is the energy-efficient that will win that race," he said. He added that "it is the countries that prioritise green energy that will secure the biggest share of jobs and growth."
Meanwhile Tim Yeo MP, Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee has proposed a 'green jobs' amendment to the Energy Bill which is currently going through Parliament which would force the Government to set a target to decarbonise the UK’s electricity.
The Government recently delayed any decision on a decarbonisation target until 2016, but under the amendment it would need to set a target before April 2014. The amendment would also force the Government to use the predictions of its own climate watchdog the Committee on Climate Change as the basis for the target.
Doug Parr, Chief Scientist and Policy Director at Greenpeace (and a LowCVP Board member), said if the amendment is passed it would likely stimulate investment in a whole raft of green projects. He said (quoted in 'Building'): “Having a decarbonisation target in the 2030s means people who are in the low carbon sector would know that there’s a market for low carbon,”
The CBI says the green economy is now worth more than £120bn a year, or 8% of GDP, and was one of the few areas of the economy to experience growth in 2012.
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