No figure was put on the overall number of new green jobs likely to be created by 2040 in the CCC’s carbon budget, but some sectors will enjoy a boost: renewables and nuclear power could create more than 50,000 direct jobs by 2030; making alternative proteins to replace meat could create 25,000 jobs by 2035; demand for forestry workers could create 7,000 to 37,000 new jobs by 2030; and the rollout of heat pumps was previously estimated to create 120,000 to 230,000 jobs, but that could be lowered slightly.
Most people in the UK heat their homes with gas, but by 2040 most will need electric heat pumps if the UK’s carbon targets are to be met.
Hydrogen, posited by some as a way to carry on using the UK’s existing gas supply networks to replace gas in home heating systems, is definitely out – it will never be cheap enough or feasible, according to multiple studies, and the CCC said its use would be largely confined to industrial settings.
While flying is likely to take up a bigger proportion of the UK’s carbon budget by 2040, people will still be taking more flights than they are today – a 10% expansion of the sector is on the cards.
Livestock numbers need to be reduced – farming is likely to be among the UK’s biggest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in 2040 – and beef and lamb are the prime targets.
