Lord Smith backs expansion of low-carbon jobs

Lord Smith, Environment Agency chairman, has called for the training of more engineers and scientists to help Britain meet its carbon-reduction targets in the next 20 years.

In a speech at the agency’s annual conference, he said the UK needed to lead a Green New Deal by creating low-carbon jobs and technology, irrespective of agreements on world emission targets set at Copenhagen.

‘We have to be realistic about Copenhagen,’ he said. ‘It won’t solve all the issues. We have therefore to see it as the crucial start to a process, not the end. We need an agreement of principles and commitments that will at least give us a chance of beating the worst that climate change will bring.’

As part of the proposals, Smith outlined a ‘Climate Challenge Fund’ that would work to coordinate and prioritise low-carbon research. The fund would be financed from match funding through business, with universities and government jointly matching corporate investment.