The Commons environmental audit committee (EAC) heard evidence yesterday that the government, while championing the greening of the economy, has a long road in front of it. Skip related content
Contributing to the 'Green Jobs and Skills' inquiry announced in April 2009, business minister Kevin Brennan and climate change minister David Kidney talked about the steps government is taking to move the UK to a low carbon economy.
"All jobs are going to have to become green jobs," remarked Brennan at the outset of the hearing.
Discussing the demand for jobs and skills over the next decade, Kidney said:
"There is going to be a massive shift in a relatively short space of time.
"The word is activismwe have to alert everybody to the huge shift in our economy over the next decade.
"We have to give people the incentive to get training early onbut, we can't say there are going to be 'X' thousands of jobs in this or that sector. Every sector is going to require these skills."
The policies set out in reports such as UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, and the UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, will help to drive this transition.
Presently, two low carbon economic areas have been established in the South West and North East of England.
Brennan said the South West is "taking advantage" of wave and marine energy while the North East is "centring on ultra-low-carbon vehicles".
Kidney said the benefits will not be limited to the respective areas.
Construction, transport, aviation and energy are sectors which will require special attention in terms of skills deficiencies.
However Kidney stressed that every sector "must play a part to bring the country to a low carbon economy".
Brennan addressed the notion of there being no finite number of jobs required to reach a green economy.
"The strategy isn't to create a certain number of jobs in [for example] a five year plan," he said.
"We are about having good intelligence and evidence of what is on the horizon and using that to incentivise the system."
PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Italian police arrested a top Sicilian mafia boss on Sunday who had been a fugitive for more than 15 years, dealing what a minister said was a major blow to the crime syndicate.
