LAST week was the first ever Green Great Britain Week, a week of events and activities which brought together businesses, schools, universities, communities and charities to explore the opportunities of low carbon commitments, to celebrate what we’ve achieved as a world leader in this area and challenge ourselves to do more to protect our environment and take action against climate change.

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report made clear the scale of this global challenge to fight dangerous climate change. But our record shows that we can make a difference: since 1990 we’ve cut our greenhouse gas emissions by over 40 per cent (the last time emissions were this low, Queen Victoria was on the throne!) while growing the economy by more than two thirds – among the best performance in the world.

But it is also clear we must raise our ambition, which is why I wrote last week to the Committee on Climate Change to ask for advice on how we can achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It’s not just good for the planet, but good for business – our low carbon economy currently employs over 400,000 people and is set to grow four times faster than the rest of the economy, as more and more people take up ‘green collar’ jobs.

Young people are especially keen to take up jobs in the low carbon economy, with two-thirds of young people preferring to work in ‘green collar’ jobs. Next week is Wiltshire College’s Graduation Ceremony, a fantastic day which brings together the graduates from all of Wiltshire College’s campuses across Wiltshire in a wonderful ceremony in Salisbury Cathedral, to recognise their achievements. Wiltshire College offer a huge range of opportunities to their students, including many part-time and mature students, helping prepare them for exciting careers. Huge congratulations to all graduates!