Action urged to boost UK green economy

Posted on: 22 December, 2009

Following the publishing of the Environmental Audit Committee’s report, Green Jobs and Skills, the College of Estate Management (CEM) has urged the government to support creating a strong UK green building industry and skills base or risk losing out to international competitors.

This comes as the climate talks come to a close in Copenhagen.

The report identifies that government green investment is far too small for the UK to achieve its emissions targets and compete in international markets in the low-carbon economy, with its scale considerable less than competitors, such as Germany, Japan, the US and China.

Buildings account for 44 per cent of carbon emissions, and property and construction professionals will play a major role in paving a way for a low carbon future. As a result, CEM, one of the leading providers of professional qualification through distance learning, has made sustainability an important component of its courses.

Stephen Bickell, CEM’s leader in sustainability, said:

‘There is much work to be done in reducing emissions from buildings. Without skilled professionals who can implement sustainability not only will we fail to reach our own carbon reduction targets, we will also miss out in the growing international market for green technology. It is crucial that the government strongly supports the burgeoning green economy to develop the necessary skills base for the UK to effectively compete.

‘Many protesters are concerned about emissions from our industrialised economy and the commercialisation of carbon reduction. But a vibrant green technically based economy, benefiting society with employment and an income, and attaching financial incentive to improvement, are vital to enable carbon emissions to be sufficiently reduced to avoid damaging climate change.’