Risk or reward? Securing a just transition in the north of England

Article

As the most recent IPCC report on global warming shows, decarbonising the UK’s economy is an urgent necessity if we are to tackle the threat of climate change and stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Yet the shift to a low-carbon economy carries significant risks to the number and quality of jobs in those areas which are home to carbon-based energy generation. This will disproportionately impact the north of England, where the majority of coal and gas power stations in England are situated. Illustrative figures from IPPR analysis shows that approximately 28,000 jobs in the coal, oil and gas industries could be lost in the north of England by 2030.

This interim report finds that the government’s decarbonisation strategy and associated policies are set to realise the risks rather than reap the rewards of the transition to a low-carbon economy in the north of England.

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