The Scottish Executive made a commitment in the Partnership Agreement to work with business to develop and implement a green jobs strategy.
Following a public consultation exercise involving the business, environmental and public sectors, we published Going for green growth: a green jobs strategy for Scotland in June 2005.
We have an implementation plan to accompany our green jobs strategy. This sets out in detail our commitments and was updated for the seventh time in March 2007.
Growing the economy is the Scottish Executive's top priority, but we have made a commitment that this growth will be sustainable. The drive for a sustainable world is sometimes seen by business as an economic cost. In fact, it is a superb economic opportunity. Our green jobs strategy highlights the wealth of business and employment opportunities arising from this shift towards a sustainable future.
There is great potential in sectors like waste management, recycling and renewable energy. And yet the opportunities are not limited to businesses in 'green' sectors. Companies of all types and sizes can improve their productivity and competitiveness by using resources more efficiently.
The business case for sustainability is arrestingly simple: smarter use of resources does not just make good economic sense, it is absolutely essential for our long-term survival.