Huw Morris,
PlanningResource,
5 November 2008
A £150 billion programme to create five million "green collar" jobs set out by US Presidential victor Barack Obama will leave the UK trailing in the global race to capitalise on environmental technologies.
Obama has pledged to convert manufacturing centres into clean technology leaders through a federal investment programme, including support for car companies to retool to create new fuel-efficient cars.
Other plans include a green jobs corps for disconnected youth to improve energy conservation and efficiency of homes and buildings in local communities as well as a doubling of federal science and research funding for clean energy projects.
The Environmental Industries Commission (EIC), which represents more than 330 green technology companies in the UK, says the rapidly growing environmental marketplace will produce huge economic benefits for those countries that gain early advantage.
Global demand for environmental services is currently $1,370 billion a year, and predicted to grow to $2,740 billion by 2020.
The EIC argues that the previous Democratic Presidency, under Bill Clinton and Al Gore, prioritised the environmental industry for government support, leading to a $9 billion trade surplus.
EIC chairman Adrian Wilkes said: “This is a warning to Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson that the UK risks falling behind in the race to develop the environmental technologies of the future.
“The government must back UK companies to seize the opportunity to lead the world in environmental technologies, or else millions of jobs that could have been created in the UK will go abroad to countries like the USA that are putting in place comprehensive support programmes.”
huw.morris@haymarket.com
Sign up here for your FREE PlanningResource news bulletins
