Project Overview
Definition of Low Carbon and Resource Efficient Economy
There does not appear to be a commonly used definition of “low carbon economy” therefore I propose the following definition of Low Carbon and Resource Efficient Economy skills which will define the scope of this work.
It needs to be accepted that actions involving low carbon and resource efficiency form part of the larger overarching requirements of sustainable development. Sustainable development is a framework for integrating economic, social and environmental policy. It requires the continuous integration of environmental, social and economic considerations into decision making.
A widely used and accepted international definition of sustainable development is ‘development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ – Brundtland Commission.
Low-Carbon Economy is a popular term that refers to an Economy which has a minimal output of Greenhouse Gas emissions into the biosphere. Globally implemented Low Carbon Economies are often proposed as a means to avoid or reduce the impact of climate change, and protect the planets natural resources.
The aim of a Low Carbon Economy is to integrate all aspects of the economy; manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and power-generation etc. around technologies that produce energy and materials with minimal Greenhouse Gas emission; and thus, around populations, buildings, machines and devices which use those energies and materials efficiently, and, dispose of or recycle its wastes.
A Low Carbon Economy should also be one that breaks the link between economic growth and increased use of carbon resources.
Resource efficiency can be defined as maximising the output of product or service from a given level of materials and energy. It is about increased productivity, and hence profits; about ensuring the greatest return on investment; and about the identification and exploitation of competitive advantage.
Low Carbon and Resource Efficient Economy (LCREE) Skills
The skills required to create an effective and expanding economy that minimises the amount of carbon emissions per unit of output through the development and implementation of technologies and behaviour that utilises carbon resources in an efficient way and breaks the link between economic growth and carbon emissions.
The skills needed to achieve and maintain a successful LCREE are drawn from a very wide range of subject areas. These subject areas are categorised as:
- Design
- Waste
- Energy
- Water
- Buildings
- Transport
- Materials
- Financial
- Management
- Policy and Planning
Some of the individual LCREE skills within these subject areas will be new and groundbreaking. Others will be more established skills which, although not traditionally thought of as LCREE skills, will contribute to the achievement of LCREE’s. Thus it is important to realise when considering skills that moving towards a LCREE cannot be compartmentalised – as indicated by the wide range of subject areas, it is a cross-cutting issue and its skills requirements need to be integrated across the board. Likewise it will be necessary to realise that although some of the skills required to achieve LCREE’s are sector specific, many are generic skills which have cross-sector importance.
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