Written By: Jim Stark
Original Article: Central Fife Times

Around 60,000 Scottish green jobs could be created by 2020 in low carbon industries according to new figures published.

And Scottish Government Minister for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, talked about the possible green revolution when he visited a Lochgelly company on Monday.

Mr Swinney was at Recycle Fife, at the town’s Cartmore Industrial Estate, where he met chief executive Jackie Dunsmuir and operations director Frankie Hodge who told him how the company had developed so well in tackling issues directly aligned to protecting the environment.

Recycle Fife provides a range of recycling services which helps the public and commerce recycle waste rather then send it to landfill sites.

The Scottish Government’s discussion paper on the transition to a low carbon economy draws together, for the first time, ways in which Scotland can take pole position in the drive to secure the economic benefits of greener business. The Government will publish a resulting Low Carbon Strategy in the autumn.

New jobs highlighted include an additional 26,000 jobs in renewables, 26,000 jobs in emerging low carbon technologies and a further 8,000 jobs in environmental management.

John Swinney said, “Scotland’s future lies in low carbon technologies and greener business. We have the most ambitious emissions reduction targets in the world and we have the natural resources and the desire to become a leading low carbon economy.

“We must seize the opportunity and make the transition a reality.

“Moving Scotland’s industries to low carbon products and services is an economic and environmental imperative and is already happening – witness the billions of pounds being invested in green energy.

“Yet there is so much more potential across domestic and rapidly expanding global markets such as green energy, sustainable transport, energy efficiency, waste, recycling and pollution. All the estimates show that the jobs potential, demand for new skills, and supply chain benefits could be vast.

“This discussion paper is designed to gather views and experiences from across Scotland. Working with our enterprise agencies, we will discuss with industry sectors like finance, construction and skills sectors and will provide a clear focus to promote the transition to a low carbon economy in the autumn.”

Mr Swinney was impressed by the range of work carried out by the award winning Lochgelly company during his visit to Cartmore.

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