Opportunity from change: new industrial activism
A low carbon industrial strategy must seize the opportunities that will come with change: a new industrial activism for a new green industrial revolution
We already have in place the key targets and regulatory drivers for carbon reductions in the areas of households, transport and power generation. The framework Government has put in place aims to give industry the confidence to invest in bringing low carbon products and services to the market. It includes the Climate Change Act, which sets binding carbon budgets for the UK, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which covers almost half of all emissions, the Renewables Obligation and our target of 15% of all energy coming from renewables by 2020, the new Carbon Reduction Commitment, building regulations, vehicle emissions standards, and dynamic product standards for consumer goods. All these, alongside the public spending and planning processes the Government has put in place, will drive demand for low carbon and resource efficient goods and services.
But we must also think about how we best equip UK businesses and workers to compete for these opportunities. In an increasingly competitive global market it is vital we create the conditions that make the UK the best country in the world to grow a low carbon business. We need a new industrial activism that brings together different strands of government policy to ensure low carbon companies based here have access to the infrastructure, skilled workers, research and development and investment opportunities they need. We need to make sure that we drive the green industrial revolution from the regions as well as nationally, building on distinct regional and local advantages across the UK, and market British strengths in a competitive global marketplace.
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just a though when I was browsing the reg hardware site were they put a lot of news regarding Electric Vehicle (EV) advances and future models
Currently the GM Opel/Vauxhall Ampera is getting a lot of good press but the UK version is arriving one year later in 2012 rather than 2011 (to be honest, i would like both to be sooner, i would be first in line) There are rumors that this model would be build along side the new astra at elsmere port and with all the problems that Opel are needing finance help with the workers at risk as well
Would the government look to providing loans for grantee of the car coming to the UK sooner if Vx need help re-tooling the assembley line and help savegaurd more jobs in the UK?
The sooner we bring these sort of inicitives in the better we have a chance of reducing the amounts of carbon we produce?
Setting targets is not enough, no matter how far reaching they are. There are significant barriers to low carbon investment which must be simultaneously removed. The UK and EU laws on, for example; liability for sequestered CO2, permission for sequestration on land in saline aquifers, co-sequestration with H2S must urgently be revised.
Equally a minimum price should be considered for carbon credits to allow companies the security to make large scale investment in CCS projects based on sound economics, not just the hope of government capital handouts.
For GHG emissions trading to work, it must be global. Otherwise high GHG emitting and highly power dependant industries will simply leave the EU. The government must push internationally for extension of the EU ETS to a global scheme, beginning with G8 memebers.
Driving new innovation from sustainability challenges requires businesses and graduates to have a wide grasp of sustainability concepts. The UK has major strengths in the teaching of green chemistry and green chemical engineering and these should be strongly supported and expanded. Academic research in these areas is, by its very nature, applied to solving industrial problems. Chemistry Innovation (www.chemistryinnovation.co.uk) drives the exploitation of this science base by UK industry to drive innovation in low carbon and resource efficient products and processes.