Nick Bent previews the latest issue of EAEM

Nick Bent
Editor at EAEM
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Post date: Friday, 3rd February 2012

Christmas is over, but even in this bleak midwinter there are some very positive trends in our sector that we should be proud of and cheered by. Amidst all the doom and gloom about the state of our economy and our society, our sector grew in 2011. With the economy as a whole stagnating and unemployment rising, our sector increased its revenues and saw a net increase in employment.

We won’t have the full picture until the Summer, but the detailed figures for the 2009/10 financial year, commissioned and published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, show that sales of Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) grew by 4.25% to a new record level of £116.8 billion. This is a similar rate of growth to the previous year, in the depths of recession, when our sector grew by 4.34%.

The increase in employment levels in the sector was more modest, but positive nonetheless, with a net increase of 0.5% to 914,273. Just two years earlier, total employment in the sector stood at 881,300. So nearly 33,000 extra jobs have been created, and most of them are the high-skill and high-wage positions that UK plc so desperately needs in order to secure a prosperous future.

The BIS report also confirms that Britain has the 6th largest ‘green economy’ in the world, in a global market that is rapidly expanding. So the ‘green shoots’ of economic recovery that people are searching for are precisely that – clean, smart, cutting edge and, above all, green. Some free market ideologues may argue that these healthy figures justify the Coalition Government reining in its commitment to supporting fledgling technologies, as it sadly has. They may assert , in the name of austerity, the legitimacy of real-terms cuts to the UK science budget, which sadly is what the Government has imposed.

Our view is precisely the opposite: Just think how much more successful the energy and environmental management sector could be if Government policy were to be (a) generous and (b) consistent. In 2011, Ministerial decisions from David Cameron and George Osborne downwards lacked both these qualities. In 2012, a strong, strategic commitment by Ministers to the green economy would benefit the whole UK economy, not just our sector. So this is one reason why the importance of investment in innovation, both public and private, is a major theme of the Winter edition of EAEM Magazine. We are delighted to publish the highlights of my recent interview with Lord Robert Winston, the Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London and an internationally respected scientist and broadcaster. Two videos of our discussion can be viewed in full on the EAEM website.

Our main feature is a series of articles about one of the Coalition Government’s flagship policies, the Green Deal. Now enshrined in the Energy Act 2011 and due to be implemented this coming Autumn, debate is still raging about the details of the Green Deal. The Minister responsible at DECC, Greg Barker MP, sets out his vision for the scheme, and we have fascinating responses from PwC, Friends of the Earth and Which? to help you make up your own mind.

The new President of CIWEM, David Wilkes, writes for us about ‘sustainable flood protection’; Piers Clark, Commercial Director of Thames Water, tells us about their innovations on energy-from-waste. And top experts from lawyers Eversheds, private equity firm Gresham and trade associations such as ESTA, World Nuclear Association, Utilities Intermediaries Association and BSRIA all share their insights and wisdom.

Looking ahead to the Spring edition, we will have a special feature on the Coalition Government’s Water White Paper, with articles authored by the Environment Secretary, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, plus Stephanie Hilborne OBE from the Wildlife Trusts and Tony Smith from the Consumer Council for Water.

There will also be a series of articles by industry experts on topics as diverse as microgeneration; air pollution services; green roofs and living walls; the future of the UK solar industry; nuclear health and safety; data centre temperature management; and hydrogen fuel cells. The full list of features is available on our website.

And our Spring International Focus will be a detailed analysis of the Durban Summit on climate change that concluded – moderately successfully – in December and a look ahead to the next round of UN-brokered international negotiations in Qatar at the end of this year. Our author is Trewin Restorick, CEO of Global Action Plan.

In the meantime, our popular website is updated daily with fresh news stories and guest columns, and also carries information about upcoming events and links to other key players in our sector. You can also sign up online for our fortnightly e-newsletters. Visit us at www.eaem.co.uk.

For now, all of us at EAEM would like to wish you a Happy New Year and a successful, sustainable 2012.  

Energy and Environment