Let's recover greener - with the thousands of jobs we need

The Government has announced a new plan for a green economic recovery creating thousands of jobs.  As the world looks to recover from the impact of coronavirus on our lives, livelihoods and economies, we have the chance to build back better: to invest in making the UK a global leader in green technologies.  I am excited about the aim of supporting green jobs, and accelerating our path to net zero.

It's a ten point plan, which focuses on increasing ambition in the following areas:

1. advancing offshore wind

2. driving the growth of low carbon hydrogen

3. delivering new and advanced nuclear power

4. accelerating the shift to zero emission vehicles

5. green public transport, cycling and walking

6. ‘jet zero’ and green ships

7. greener buildings

8. investing in carbon capture, usage and storage

9. protecting our natural environment

10. green finance and innovation

 

The ten point plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment, and potentially 3 times as much from the private sector, to create and support up to 250,000 green jobs.

An additional £40 million investment into the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund will go towards creating and retaining a range of both skilled and unskilled jobs such as ecologists, project managers, tree planters and teams to carry out natural restoration. 

Funding will be awarded to environmental charities and partners across England to restore the natural environment and help make progress on the UK’s ongoing work to address biodiversity loss and climate change.

In addition to this, I am also pleased to see ideas about increasing access to nature for communities and better protecting wildlife and biodiversity.  There are projects included which could help restore the equivalent of over 30,000 football pitches of wildlife rich habitat!

I welcome these announcements because I know many of us in north Norwich want to better protect our environment.  It's a big priority for me and I want to see more good jobs at the same time.  This is very important for Norwich.

You can read more here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-ten-point-plan-for-a-green-industrial-revolution.  I'll keep you informed from Parliament.