Written - Green Jobs for Wales: Consultation Document

We are pleased to announce that the Welsh Assembly Government will today launch a consultation document to seek views on the Green Jobs Strategy. The development of this strategy is a key commitment in our One Wales Programme for Government.

The Strategy has taken on an added resonance given the current economic climate. It forms part of a much broader range of measures designed to create a sustainable economy built on the firm foundations of sustainable businesses, sustainable technologies and sustainable employment.. These will make an important contribution to the way in which Wales deals with the current situation and places itself in a robust position to take advantage of future opportunities.

The Green Jobs Strategy will play a key part in shaping and driving the business opportunities associated with a move to a low carbon, low waste economy, including delivering in the following areas:

• the One Wales target to reduce CO2 emissions by 3% a year from 2011 in areas of devolved competence;
• the proposal to increase municipal waste recycling targets;
•  the Renewable Energy Route Map.

The overall aim is to encourage businesses in Wales to adopt resource efficiency in all aspects of the production and supply of goods and services. We want businesses in Wales to be increasingly low-carbon, low-waste businesses so they are “future proofed” against the challenges of energy security and the scarcity of natural resources, particularly oil. The Green Jobs Strategy will endorse the importance of new technologies and reflect our new approach to Sustainable Development, and which will be outlined in our proposed Scheme for Sustainable Development, One Wales-One Planet. This will enhance the importance of setting out a pathway to Wales using only our fair share of the earth’s finite resources and will show how a sustainable approach will improve the lives of our less well-off communities.

We wish to ensure that businesses’ expertise and views are fully taken into account, particularly in view of the current economic climate. We want businesses to share a sense of ownership with the strategy. The document has therefore been specifically designed to encourage responses from businesses in particular, as well as their representative organisations.

This consultation process is therefore a means of ensuring that the strategy will fully meet the needs of businesses in assisting them to meet the challenges and opportunities that will be presented by the move to a low-carbon, low- waste society. Organisations such as the CBI Wales, Wales TUC and the voluntary sector have already expressed an interest in becoming involved in this process.

The document will be e-mailed to a variety of organisations and will also available on the Welsh Assembly Government website. The strategy will be finalised following the completion of the 12-week consultation period and the analysis of responses.