Government launches low-carbon equalities group

The government yesterday formally announced the launch of a new body designed to ensure its low-carbon transition plan fits in with the UK's equality agenda and distributes the opportunities and challenges that result from low-carbon economic models evenly around the UK.

Speaking to the TUC 21st Century Economy Conference, business secretary Pat McFadden said the new Forum for a Just Transition would hold its first meeting on 10 December with representatives from trade unions, the Energy Intensive Users Group, government, industry, education and skills groups and consumers all in attendance.

First trailed at the launch of the government's low-carbon industrial strategy in the summer, the new forum will have the task of analysing the social impacts of the low-carbon transition, providing feedback on what policies are needed to ensure a fair distribution of costs and benefits for the whole of the UK economy, and recommending areas for further research.

"As we make this shift [to a low-carbon economy] I believe it is important that we consider the social and opportunity side of this, that we have a fair distribution of the costs and benefits, that we talk through the employment implications and new employment opportunities and that we have a group of people committed to the success of this who point out new opportunities to government to make the most of these changes," said McFadden.

"That's why I am pleased to announce that the government will proceed with the establishment of a Forum for a Just Transition. Its purpose will be to make sure we make the most of the opportunities presented by this shift and that change is carried through in a fair way."

The move was welcomed by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, who said that the forum could help to ensure the UK develops "a better balanced economy less dependent on finance". He added that the new working group could also help to minimise the "pain" that will result from job losses in carbon-intensive sectors.

"The big changes we need will also cause pain," he observed. "This is why planning the economic and social changes required for a just transition is as important as the technological and industrial issues."

To date, skills development, social impacts and equality have been largely sidelined in the debates surrounding the low-carbon transition, but they are expected to become a more prominent issue as the government attempts to offset expected unemployment in high-carbon sectors by retraining people in new, low-carbon jobs.