Renewables alone cannot meet the 2050 net zero target
Renewables alone cannot meet the 2050 target as a Labour Party report shows a steep fall in low-carbon and renewable energy jobs since 2014
GMB, the union for energy workers, has said that urgent investment is needed in new nuclear projects and UK supply chains.
The unions call comes in response to figures released by the Labour Party which showed that 33,800 ‘low carbon and renewable energy’ jobs and a further 41,400 connected jobs in the wider economy were lost between 2014 and 2019, according to official statistics.
Nuclear is the most powerful and job rich form of low-carbon energy. Without new investment in nuclear we may be at sharp end of green job losses with nuclear fleet retirements.
GMB is calling for the Government to end the uncertainty over vital new nuclear builds such as Sizewell C by ensuring there is urgent clarity on how the funding mechanism for these projects will work by Autumn.
The news comes as Keir Starmer visits Scotland ahead of COP26.
Gary Smith, GMB General secretary said:
"It is increasingly clear that the UK won’t reach our net zero targets or deliver the so-called green jobs revolution without new nuclear in our future energy mix.
“The climate crisis is real and it’s happening all around us, but if we want to play our part in tackling global emissions then we need take responsibility for our energy and industrial policies.
"That means bringing forward a strategy to build the future here, stopping the mass export of our green jobs to the rest of the world and investing in a new generation of nuclear power.”
