Overview

Changing what we do, and how we do it, is now an essential part of our thinking as a Region, and all industries will need to adapt to a cleaner, greener, way of working.

The stark reality is that much of the Liverpool City Region is in low-lying areas close to river basins, so many of our homes and businesses will be under water if the sea levels rise in line with some of the predictions.

We’re already seeing more extreme weather events, and the cost of not changing is going to be felt not just in financial terms but also in lost, or shortened, lives.

With this in mind, the Liverpool City Region has set a target date to become net carbon neutral, and this target is 2040 – less than 20 years from today.

So what does this mean for us? 

The Paris Agreement is an international accord aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 °C or 2.7% per annum , but even if all the commitments of the Agreement are fulfilled, temperatures will rise 3.2 °C by the end of the century, with increasing frequency and intensity of the destructive climate phenomena that have devastated the planet in recent years.

The drive to work in cleaner, greener ways brings with it many challenges, but also many opportunities because an entire sector has been created looking to take advantage of greener technology, in areas such as renewable energy, improved heating and cooling systems, reduced emissions systems, waste management, green construction, to name just a few.

You may see these types of businesses and jobs called either  “Low Carbon” or “Clean Growth” – they’re essentially the same thing –  jobs in industries which reduce our carbon footprint and extend the use of cleaner greener fuels and resources.

By 2030, estimates suggest there could be 694,000 green jobs in the low-carbon and renewable energy sector across England, rising to more than 1.18m by 2050. 

There’s enormous potential for clean growth careers – from dedicated clean growth businesses, such as wind farms, to working on environmental projects in other businesses to improve their carbon footprint, researching, developing and producing new products or systems which reduce environmental impacts, or even working in a research or consultancy capacity to measure or reduce harmful impacts.

The Low Carbon/Clean Growth sector itself includes industries such as offshore wind, onshore wind, solar photovoltaic, hydropower, other renewable energy, bioenergy and energy efficient lighting and vehicles, heating and cooling technologies,  smart recycling, and similar fields which substantially lower level of carbon emissions per unit of output than other industries or allow us to generate cleaner, greener power.

When you consider that in the next decade we will radically need to reconsider how we heat our buildings, how we travel, and how we generate our power, you’ll appreciate that this is a massive commitment which will re-shape the society we see today. 

In the Liverpool City Region economy, businesses operating in the Low Carbon/Clean Growth are not only an important pillar of reducing our carbon footprint , but are at the forefront of the global shift towards clean and efficient use of energy of all kinds, researching and developing new sources of power and using it in an efficient and sustainable way.

In order to achieve this we need to invest in new technology and processes to develop and expand the use of renewable energy sources, and in order to do this we need people with the right skills, experience and passion to drive forward the initiatives..

In our region, this workforce currently stands at approximately 37,000 people across 4,500 enterprises, but is growing fast and new jobs are developing quickly – many of which are not just new jobs, but new types of jobs, working on projects or products which are brand new.

 As well as these essential environmental and health benefits, there are also significant economic advantages that Liverpool City Region is well-placed to benefit from. The River Mersey which runs through the heart of the region has a potential to generate sustainable electric power through tidal systems, we have a very exciting Hydrogen Economy Programme, and as the technology develops we will need to fit all current and new housing and business premises with heating and cooling systems which take advantage of the new energy sources.

 If this sounds like a huge change, that’s because it will be – and it will fundamentally affect everyone in the Region, in a variety of ways we can’t fully understand yet because they’re evolving constantly as new technology emerges.

 A large proportion of the jobs being created are in high-value and well-paid professional occupations, so if you’re looking for a career which has a positive environmental impact and also provides you with an exciting and interesting outlook, this could be the sector for you.

Quick Facts

• In 2019, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority became the first in the country to declare a Climate Emergency, committing to become net zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the national UK target.
• Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s vision is to position the Liverpool City Region as “the UK’s renewable energy coast.”
• The energy industry adds 87bn to the economy every year.
• The Clean Growth sector provides 137,000 direct jobs  (1 in 49 across the economy) and 500,000 indirect jobs nationally.
• The Vulnerability Commitment which improves supplier support to vulnerable household allocated £320 million to vulnerable and low-income consumers in 2021.
• The energy sector invests over £17bn per annum in research and the development and upgrading of new facilities – this is the cutting edge of our energy provision.
• The UK has the largest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world and five UK cities are rated in the world’s 40 most sustainable.
• The Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is a commitment to 250,000 green jobs, transforming the economy and putting clean, green technology at the forefront of industrial change.
• By 2050 it is estimated that electricity demand from new technologies will be double that of 2022, as more things in society use electricity for power.
• By 2050 it is estimated that electricity demand from new technologies will be double that of 2022, as more things in society use electricity for power.
• The first plans for a tidal barrage across the Mersey were first produced back in 1924 -well before the climate crisis.
• With a tidal range up to 10 m (33 ft) the Mersey is the second highest in the United Kingdom and is therefore considered one of the best sources of marine renewable energy in the United Kingdom.
• The 32 new turbines at the 40 sq Km Burbo Bank windfarm are the most powerful in the world – they’re taller than the Gherkin in London and the Royal Liver Building, and collectively produce enough electricity to power 3.1 million homes. Each of the blades is longer than 9 buses!
• It is estimated that by 2030 offshore wind can generate around a third of the UK’s electricity.
• Eighty-two percent of Liverpool City Region residents agree urgent action is needed to reduce carbon emissions, according to an exclusive survey.

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