The case for Green Energy

Green is the colour of the environment and of money. And traditionally the two have been quite separate – we have typically needed to pay for one with the other.

This may at least partly explain why it’s commonplace to hear arguments about green energy and the related transition to net zero, that characterise it as something expensive that we have to slow down to make more affordable. It is quite normal to expect that we have to pay for the environment with the economy.

Green energy has been a good example of that. It simply cost more and needed support. But things change. In the last few years we’ve seen a rapid price reduction in the technologies we use to harness the power of the wind and sun. In this report we take a close look at the economics of green energy compared to those of fossil fuels. We’ve crunched the numbers and expressed the potential in terms of two key economic measures – jobs and economic growth created. This should enable an update to the narrative on this most vital of all issues – green energy is after all fundamental to the transition to net zero which itself is fundamental to avoiding the worst of the climate crisis.

Our research shows that investing in green energy creates more than twice as many jobs in the UK than the equivalent investment in fossil fuels. And that it contributes almost twice (1.7 times) as much to our GDP. Twice the jobs and twice the GDP growth in broad terms. The transition to green energy is the biggest economic opportunity we’ve had, probably since the first Industrial Revolution.

This report shows that investment in green energy is not an environment policy, it’s first and foremost an economic one. It’s not about ice caps and polar bears any more. It’s about jobs and GDP. It’s the Green Economy stupid, as Bill Clinton nearly said.

Read the full report here – https://www.greenbritainfoundation.co.uk/