Going green vital to reducing regional economic inequalities, says TUC

date: 22 October 2012

embargo: 00.01hrs Tuesday 23 October 2012

TUC General Secretary Designate Frances O'Grady will today (Tuesday) say that going green is essential if the UK is to reduce its growing trade deficit and reverse damaging regional economic inequalities that have got worse in the last few years.

Frances will address the TUC climate change conference today, along with Business Secretary Vince Cable MP who will deliver the keynote speech during the afternoon session.

A panel debate on what makes a good green government, including Lord Deben, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change, Shadow Minister for Climate Change Luciana Berger and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will close the morning session of the conference. Unions, business groups and campaigners will also take part in a series of expert-led workshops throughout the day.

Key issues at the conference, which is taking place between 10am and 4.15pm at the TUC Headquarters in central London, include the case for and design of a Green Investment Bank, the need to close the green skills gap, and how a green industrial policy can help to deliver new, high quality jobs.

Frances O'Grady will say: 'We need a bold, imaginative and radical plan to green our economy and deliver the good green jobs that Britain is crying out for.

'With austerity hitting hard, with growth and confidence in short supply, with this country staring years of stagnation in the face, we desperately need to break this cycle of decline.

'Investing in green industries, infrastructure and skills has got to be a big part of the answer.

'It's not just about equipping ourselves to meet the challenges posed by climate change, nor just about delivering economic regeneration to the regions that need it most.

'The green economy is now worth £122bn - almost a tenth of total UK output. It sustains nearly a million jobs. And it is in trade surplus, with China our biggest export market.

'The green economy is already helping us to pay our way in the world. But it can do so much more.

'We want investment not cuts, so that we reverse the scandalous funding shortfalls that will see 16,000 jobs lost in the home insulation industry and 20,000 at risk in the solar industry following changes to the Feed-In Tariff.

'We want a properly capitalised Green Investment Bank, not the pale imitation we have now, which is able to raise funds on the capital markets to invest in the green capacity Britain needs in the coming decades.

'And we want a smart, active green industrial strategy that provides us with a clear route map showing how we get from where we are now to where we want to be in 10 or 20 years' time.

'But we won't build a cleaner, greener, more sustainable economy by relying on the market to deliver.

'Yes, there is a role for market incentives but the scale of the transition we need to make surely demands intelligent leadership from government of the kind that is common in our closest competitors.

'Some people in government are genuinely committed to the goal of economic and environmental renewal, and they should be applauded for it. Others, however, are climate change deniers - latter-day flat earthers of the worst possible kind.

'Criticism of the government's approach is coming from all sides - from the Climate Change Committee to the 50 businesses publishing a letter recently urging the government to introduce a new emission target for 2030.

'We at the TUC want a fundamental change of direction from government.

'That's why the TUC is launching a new project looking at how industrial policy can help us reduce carbon emissions in transport, in the energy sector and in our homes and businesses.

'That's why we're calling for an explicit policy focus on good green jobs that can't be offshored, that pay a decent wage, and that nurture the skills base Britain will need in the decades ahead.

'And why we're also about to publish a new report looking at how we can help our energy-intensive industries - what in the old days we used to call heavy industries - make the transition to the low carbon age.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Further information about the TUC climate change conference is available at www.tuc.org.uk/events/detail.cfm?event=3504

- Journalists wishing to attend the conference should register with the TUC press office.

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk