Politicians face a stark choice in this super election year: invest in the green economies of the future, or remain stuck in the past.
At least 64 countries around the world will take to the polls in 2024. As the climate crisis intensifies, and the green transition becomes a central debate in democracies globally, the decisions that politicians and voters make in the coming months will reverberate into the future.?
Here in the UK, green investment has been a major political story in recent weeks. In 2021, the Labour party announced a goal to spend $28 billion investing in climate projects every year this decade, should they win power in the upcoming election. However, yesterday they announced they were scaling back aspects of the plan including household insulation and retrofitting.?
The choices faced by the party’s leadership reflect a wider set of dynamics influencing political leaders around the world in this super election year. The case for investment in the green economy is clear and strong, and leaders must be bold in the face of criticism. One report from the World Economic Forum predicts that nature-positive transitions across sectors such as energy, infrastructure and food could generate $10 trillion in annual business value and 395 million jobs globally.?
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, countries around the world have felt the volatility of fossil fuel prices hurting their economies and pushing people into poverty. And this is not something new - fossil fuels have historically been key drivers of inflation, and have triggered recessions . In colder climates, poor insulation compounds the suffering, leaving low-income families struggling to heat their homes. Investing in clean energy, insulation, and green industries?are seriously effective ways to reduce energy bills for all and protect our economies.?
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The world is waking up to this, and demand for the technologies that will allow us to move away from fossil fuels, and become more energy efficient, are growing rapidly. These industries will be a huge part of the global economy of the future, and the competition between countries to master them is fuelling an investment race to the top. We have already seen huge?government packages, such as the US Inflation Reduction Act, designed to support fledgling domestic industries.
Countries that ignore these opportunities will be left behind. Countries that move now will have a big advantage in the global economy, providing many fulfilling jobs for their citizens.?
Fossil fuel lobbyists, amongst others, will stand in the way of investment packages for clean industries.?However, governments are ultimately accountable not to polluting industries, but to their people. If they do not invest in the economies of the future and take action on the climate crisis, then the legal tools with which citizens can hold them accountable will only grow.?
Executive Coach and Climate Change Activator
9 个月I very much agree with you Laura. Politicians have a choice - be the accelerator or the brake on the their country's benefiting from and contributing to green transition business and action. Business thinking is way ahead of political thinking now and the public want leadership in this area. Interventions to reduce energy demand reduce the energy bills for households and increase energy security. Big fossil fuel providers spend a lot of time talking to politicians about energy security by drilling more out the ground. That is their business and they make it sound easy. There is no equivalent concerted lobby for energy reduction measures. Demand side measures benefit households directly with warmer homes and lower bills, giving individuals more personal energy security and improving national energy security. It's time for politicians to show some leadership and vision. Whether you call it an industrial strategy or a green growth plan the thing is to have a plan, back it with resources and stick to it.
DragonValues.it
9 个月Dear Laura, don’t worry about politicians, they are not and can’t be decisions makers, they are important but simple mediators between the public and the executors, spending their face to collect public consensus, programs and business plans are not their business nor duty, on that they can’t interfere. Follow the money, understand the strategies and find useful tools and services suitable to serve the urgently needed energy transition, producing profit for them, or else we will continue loose the vital time with the various UN-COPs. Hope you agree and in case you don’t please tell me where I’m wrong, open to change my mind any time. ?????