This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Proposals for green jobs strategy
15/06/2004
Scotland's business community will get the chance to
shape the country's first ever Green Jobs Strategy.
The Executive issued a discussion paper today seeking
business views, with the aim to realise opportunities for
Scotland in renewable energy, recycling and waste
management, and resource efficiency.
Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace said there was
significant potential beyond these well known sectors - in
the development of cleaner technologies, and in sectors
such as tourism, agriculture, construction and
forestry.
The Minister said:
"Economic growth and job creation can and should go hand
in hand with promoting Scotland's natural environment and,
through exports, sustaining good environmental practice
overseas. A Green Jobs Strategy will focus our efforts on
delivering sustainable growth, which will generate
employment while improving our environment and raising
living standards across the country.
"We have already made significant commitments, including
generating 40 per cent of Scotland's electricity from
renewable sources by 2020 and transforming our recycling
record by taking it up to 55 per cent of domestic waste.
In the renewables sector in particular, Scotland really
does have the potential to lead from the front.
"As well as creating new business opportunities, better
waste management and more efficient use of resources
benefits the bottom line - raising productivity and making
a big contribution to environmental targets."
Mr Wallace continued:
"I am also keen that we look beyond the 'obvious'
sectors when discussing green jobs. For example, a
successful Green Tourism Business Scheme is already in
place and is growing, we want to increase the amount of
organic produce that can be sourced in Scotland and there
are real opportunities in developing ecologically sound
building design.
"I firmly believe that the creation of a Green Jobs
Strategy will show how, by adopting an ambitious, long-term
view, we can help make Scotland the green enterprise
capital of Europe.
"We have already had some discussions with business
organisations and others, and I look forward to continuing
this dialogue over the summer."
Ian Russell, Chief Executive of ScottishPower, said:
"Sustainable energy is vital to our future. As the UK's
leading developer of wind power, ScottishPower has already
created a large number of jobs in the development and
operation of renewable energy.
"However, this is only the beginning. With Government
and industry working together we can harness Scotland's
enormous wind, wave and tidal resources, providing tens of
thousands of jobs across Scotland."
Charlie Morrison, Vice-President of Service Delivery
Operations, IBM Greenock, said:
"As an ever increasing number of modern and forward
thinking economies in the 21st century focus on crucial
environmental issues - witnessed for example by the WEEE
(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive - the
various 'greenbased' industries will expand, stimulating
new growth and expansion potential for businesses in
Scotland.
"Opportunities will present themselves in, for example,
the early development of World Class Technologies and also
the provision of excellent process infrastructure, both of
which could be exported and adopted around the world."
Mr Wallace was launching the discussion paper Towards
a Green Jobs Strategy today. It sets out the opportunities
for Scotland to be a world leader in the environmental
sectors; asks where there is most scope for developing
green jobs across the economy; how awareness can be raised
in the business community; how businesses can be supported
in accessing these opportunities and what barriers exist;
and whether government can act more effectively in
stimulating demand.
The paper will be sent to a wide range of interested
organisations, businesses and individuals drawn from across
the public and private sectors, and the NGO and academic
communities. The paper is available at
www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/environment/tgjsc.pdf
The consultation period will run until September 30
2004.
The commitment to develop a Green Jobs Strategy was made
in A Partnership for a Better Scotland (2003), which states
that:
"Growing the economy is our top priority. We will make
this growth sustainable, in particular taking advantage of
Scotland's resources to grow our renewable energy
industries. We will work with business to develop and
implement a green jobs strategy."