This report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a UK business organisation, shows that the UK has the capability to become a key global player in low carbon products and services, which could add £20 billion to annual GDP by 2014/2015. However, government and business must work together in a proactive and pragmatic way to fully maximise the UK’s green growth potential. The CBI calls on the UK to adopt a smarter, and a more consistent and certain approach to energy and climate change policy, to enable business to invest with confidence. The report lists ten recommendations to the government on the green economy:
This European Synthesis Report explores skills development in response to the greening agenda at national, regional and local levels in six Member States: Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France and the UK.
It addresses the environmental challenges and skill requirements alongside anticipating such requirements in workforces and amid the job market.
This report identifies the broad range of policy measures required by national or federal governments to promote and facilitate the greening of industries. It has been prepared as part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Green Industry initiative, which focuses on ways that developing countries can green their industries and accelerate growth in their environmental goods and services sector. One of the key objectives of the initiative is assessing the effectiveness of governments in developing countries in supporting the greening of their industries through national strategies, policies and integrated governance structures.

This volume examines the experiences of 21 developed and developing countries in adjusting their training provision to meet the new demands of a greener economy. Analysts started by identifying the drivers of transformation to a greener economy – changes in the physical environment itself and changes induced by government regulations, more efficient technologies and changes in consumer demand. Then they assessed the effect of these changes on employment, identifying areas of job growth and of job loss
Only then could researchers start to understand how skill requirements are changing and are expected to change in the future, and to examine how well national training systems are anticipating and responding to these new needs. Their analysis shows that skills development is critical to unlocking the employment potential of green growth, yet skills shortages are becoming an obstacle in realising this potential. The report recommends that countries devise strategies based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue, and coordination among ministries and between employers and training providers.