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Hopes for 2011 green business boost
A large number of British businesses believe 2011 would be a key year for sustainable development and the progress towards a low-carbon economy, a study has found.
According to GreenWise, a majority of the companies and non-profit and lobby groups it surveyed were hopeful that 2011 would see environmental sustainability come to the forefront of business strategies.
Many also expect efforts to reduce emissions to gather momentum this year and a significant growth in the market for green goods and services.
Paul Turner, head of Sustainable Development, Lloyds Banking Group, believes it would be "a good year for the green economy".
Firms facing rising costs will be forced to look at making "operational efficiencies" which could prove beneficial in the long run, he says.
At a policy level, new measures such as Green Deal and Green Investment Bank, feed-in tariff programme, electricity market reforms and incentives for renewable energy sector are expected to boost the efforts towards creating a green economy.
The level of progress made at Cancun last year is also raising hopes for a global agreement on climate change to finally materialise in 2011.
Copyright © Press Association 2011
