Report

Second wind

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines how green industries can contribute to local economic growth.

This report assesses the potential for clean industries to deliver local economic growth by zooming in on two areas with a genuine reason for thinking they can benefit from the transition to green energy: Aberdeen and Grimsby. In doing so, we consider the extent to which high-profile promises of economic rejuvenation have been delivered on and what lessons can be gleaned from the experience so far.

We find that in both cases the reality is running behind the rhetoric. This is not for want of potential, or for a lack of policy initiatives. Instead, the Government’s largely ‘place-blind’ approach to net zero opportunity is too passive in its attempt to deliver jobs and growth. Looking ahead, a more hands-on approach is needed.

In Aberdeen this means dealing with a sequencing problem that could see the oil workforce further disband before lower-carbon jobs materialise; and in Grimsby it means scaling up and concentrating green industries so that they form an anchor for the local economy.