Transcript Document

Green economic opportunities that
bridge the rural / urban divide
Bridging the rural urban divide through green economic
opportunities for the Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise
Partnership 25th January 2011
Dr Simon Slater
Executive Director
[email protected]
sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk
Who we are
We are the sustainability adviser for the leaders of the West
Midlands.
– Government recognised ‘sustainability champion body’ for West
Midlands
– Our Board is private sector led and cross-sector representative
– We are a not-for-profit company, that works with our members in
the business, public and voluntary sectors.
Our role is to act as a catalyst for change through our:
– policy advice to leaders
– developing practical cross-sector solutions with our members,
and
– share success through our communications.
Overview
1. The Sustainability Challenges & Vision
2. Low Carbon Economy Risks & Opportunities
3. Low Carbon LEP Priorities & Implications
4. Conclusions
The West Midlands Sustainability Challenges
– The Productivity Gap - £15 billion per annum compared to UK
average – productivity & long-term unemployment
– The Carbon Gap – additional local measures need to meet
national targets - focus on transport, waste, decentralised energy,
energy efficiency
– Quality of Life Gap – health inequalities – gap of 10 years of life
expectancy between different places in region.
– Marketing Gap – poor promotion within and outside region of
good sustainability practice – but changing
– Leadership Gap – varied understanding on sustainability as
overall framework for action, business often ahead of public
sector, sub-regional governance ‘unfinished & uncertain’
Our Vision
By 2020 businesses and communities
are thriving in a West Midlands that is
environmentally sustainable and
socially just.
By 2012 our leaders are clear on what
this looks like, have set milestones and
their organisations are making strong
progress.
‘Low carbon vision’ begins to set out
what is possible now in terms of energy,
transport, construction, demographic
change to reach 2020…just add
leadership and next steps
Results by 2020?
• Improve economic productivity by 30 percent
through increased resource efficiency,
innovation, business creation, and social
enterprises tackling long-term unemployment.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent
through decreasing direct emissions within the
region, reductions through the supply chain, and
the deployment and export of solutions.
• Reduce the healthy life expectancy gap from 10
to 6 years between the best and worst
performing areas within the region.
Overview
1. The Sustainability Challenges & Vision
2. Low Carbon Economy Risks & Opportunities
3. Low Carbon LEP Priorities & Implications
4. Conclusions
Defining the Low Carbon Economy
• There is no official government definition of a low-carbon
economy so the West Midlands produced its own,
definition :
“ An economy that produces goods and services of
increasing value while reducing the associated
greenhouse gases in their production, use and
disposal…”
West Midlands Economic Strategy Connecting to Success, page 89
• Embraces the region’s strengths in engineering, science
and technology to deliver low-carbon solutions to national
and international markets.
Sectors by level of potential exposure to carbon
constraints on operations in the West Midlands
Exposure of LEP area to high energy prices &
carbon legislation
Local Authority Area
% of employees at risk
Birmingham
36.3%
Solihull
40.7%
Staffordshire
38.6%
Worcestershire
33.5%
WM average
37.1%
(Stoke 46% - Telford 32%)
Source: SWM / WMRO, Summary of Low Carbon Economy Studies for the West Midlands (July 2010
Low carbon opportunities in the West
Midlands
Low carbon opportunity sectors
Opportunities for low carbon ‘decarbonisation’
or ‘diversification’ within LEP area
Local Authority
Area
Public
services
Environment
goods &
services
Transport
manufacturing &
communications
Other
manufacturing
e.g. metals,
electrical
equipment
Birmingham
H
M
H
H
Solihull
H
M
Staffordshire
H
M
H
H
Worcestershire
M
Food & drink
manufacturing
Construction
H
M
H
Source: SWM / WMRO, Summary of Low Carbon Economy Studies for the West Midlands (July 2010)
Note H = Industry has highly significant presence in sub-region and M = Industry has significant presence.
H
H
Low Carbon Economy Risks & Opportunities for
LEP area
Productivity vs Jobs
• High productivity sectors are low risk, but around 37% of
employment is within sectors at risk from energy costs and carbon
legislation
Decarbonisation vs Diversification
• 75% of employment opportunities are producing existing products
and services more efficiently – especially public services
• 15 % of employment opportunities are around diversification or
growth into - manufacturing of building products, transport, energy /
efficiency, waste reprocessing, agri-food
Urban vs Rural
• Urban areas biggest potential driver of regional low carbon markets
– but good practice & supply chains often in rural areas
Overview
1. The Sustainability Challenges & Vision
2. Low Carbon Economy Risks & Opportunities
3. Low Carbon LEP Priorities & Implications
4. Conclusions
WM Priorities – to deliver jobs, carbon,
resilience, cost reduction
• Leadership & marketing - Development and coordination of initiatives to
stimulate low carbon jobs, skills & perception change.
• Housing - Retrofitting existing housing stock and buildings
• Public spend - Public sector sustainable procurement
• Transport - Improved low carbon transport choices such as active travel or
flexible working
• Waste - Infrastructure for diverting commercial and industrial waste from
landfill
• Energy - Decentralised energy networks expanding from regeneration
schemes
• Green space - Improvement of environmental infrastructure, such as parks,
rivers, and trees, to increase resilience to climate change, job creation, and
health outcomes.
Birmingham - Summerfield Eco-Village
Summerfield Eco-Village is the largest eco retrofit to date in the UK with 330
houses. Expected to reduce annual household fuel bills by £150 per annum and
provide 60% of energy needs onsite.
Forms basis for Green New Deal pilot in Birmingham for 5,000 houses.
Implications of Priorities for LEP
• Leadership & marketing - Development and coordination of initiatives to
stimulate low carbon jobs, skills & perception change.
– Important across whole LEP area, but who will lead?
• Housing - Retrofitting existing housing stock and buildings
– Investors will be interested in large urban areas, how will rural areas
with dispersed off-grid communities and high rates of fuel poverty
benefit?
Staffordshire - Whittington and Fisherwick
Environmental Group
Whittington and Fisherwick Environmental Group in Staffordshire won the Green
Community Heroes Rural award 2009 for encouraging residents, businesses and
community organisations to understand the causes and consequences of climate
change, assistance in lowering their carbon footprint and creating a low carbon
community.
Implications of Priorities for LEP (cont)
• Public spend - Public sector sustainable procurement
– Which areas of spend will drive demand for new green products and
services e.g. travel, construction, food and drink, green space
maintenance?
• Transport - Improved low carbon transport choices such as active travel or
flexible working
– How will home and flexible working not lead to a continued move from
urban to rural areas?
Solihull - Elmdon Park
Elmdon Park, Solihull, has been awarded Green flag status after Solihull MBC used
expert advice to become more sustainable throughout the park by reducing energy
use and pollution and improving conservation and the natural resources.
Implications of Priorities for LEP (cont)
• Waste - Infrastructure for diverting commercial and industrial waste from
landfill
– How will the benefits of rural areas treating urban waste flows be
realized?
• Energy - Decentralised energy networks expanding from regeneration
schemes
– Investors will be interested in large combined heat and power
networks. How will more rural solutions also be delivered?
• Green space - Improvement of environmental infrastructure,
– Key opportunity to link areas through ‘green travel corridors’ and ‘care /
food / fuel farms?’
Overview
1. The Sustainability Challenges & Vision
2. Low Carbon Economy Risks & Opportunities
3. Low Carbon LEP Priorities & Implications
4. Conclusions
Conclusions
• Uneven coverage of green economic priorities for LEP urban and
rural areas
• Common areas are where urban area provides clear driver for
demand which can be partly supplied or linked to rural areas:
– Food and drink
– Waste & energy
– Green Infrastructure
• All this requires clear leadership & willful individuals
Find the new Low Carbon
revolutionaries in the LEP area
How? - talk to a green leader, swm member, join a
local green business club or network
Keep in touch
Subscribe to monthly e-newsletter
Become a member
Submit good practice
Invest in developing new cross-sector solutions
Dr Simon Slater
Executive Director
[email protected]
sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk