Manchester was the first industrial city built on, and powered by, coal. Our work focuses on instigating a new revolution, one which is grounded in low carbon economics.

Over the last two years our efforts have been focussed on engaging with key individuals and organisations to understand and articulate low carbon solutions to issues that are critical to the economic prosperity of the city region. In doing this we have undertaken a number of key pieces of work, which has enabled Greater Manchester to position itself in the front line of world cities developing strategies for moving towards low carbon economies, most notably the ‘Manchester Mini-Stern’ which identified a £20 billion opportunity for the city region over the next 12 years.

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Low Carbon Economic Area
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In December 2009 the Manchester City Region was designated the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for the Built Environment. This will be a five year programme of work which will;

• Address carbon abatement on an unprecedented scale through the deployment of existing technologies and accelerated investment in science, technology and innovation to bring new products to the market

• Raise employment and productivity levels by investing in the provision of appropriate low carbon high and low level skills

• Increase investment in Manchester and the UK in low carbon industries and their supply chains.

We are currently in the process of designing this work programme, working with a range of public and private sector partners. At the end of this five year programme we hope to have:

• Added £650 million to the economy
• Supported 34,000 jobs, including 18,000 in the supply chain; and
• Saved six million tonnes of carbon

For further information please contact Steve Turner, Head of Carbon Economy on 0161 237 4417 or 07912 774 099 or email Steve Turner.

Download the Climate Change Agency Bulletins:

• Cimate Change Agency Bulletin 1 (67kb)
• Cimate Change Agency Bulletin 2 (606kb)
• Cimate Change Agency Bulletin 3 (103kb)

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Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector Analysis
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In March 2010, a study commissioned by New Economy and delivered by Innovas Solutions was released, which focused on the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector.

The study was designed to understand the potential scale of increasing demand for green industries, how local businesses can take advantage of the opportunities they provide and which sub sectors are most likely to generate new jobs for the region.

The report found that Greater Manchester is a leader in the UK in carbon capture and storage technology, additional energy sources such as biofuels and contaminated land remediation. It is also strong in alternative fuels and environmental consultancy, and above average in wind energy, low carbon building technologies and energy management.

The report shows that Greater Manchester has the potential to be a world leader in low carbon building technologies, generating additional jobs and revenue from what is a fast growing sector both in the UK and internationally.

The region is also well placed to develop its strong research capabilities, particularly in low carbon aerospace and aviation technologies and services, and could become a centre for commercialising and developing new energy technologies.

The Innovas report recommends that this growth be supported by a wide-ranging integrated public sector procurement strategy, providing cost effective access to low carbon technologies. The first stage would be to speed up the procurement of building and energy management technologies for public sector building and housing stock in the region.

Download the report:

• Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector Analysis (2406kb) – Document
• Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector Analysis (3090kb) – PDF
• Summary of Innovas Solutions Ltd Report (519kb) -Document