The Guardian view on Britain’s green economy: seriously underpowered | Editorial

New data exposes a strategic failure to drive growth in sectors that can provide the good jobs of the future

In the lead-up to Cop26 in November, Boris Johnson was at his most panglossian as he extolled the economic benefits of the country's transition to net zero. The UK's path to ending our contribution to climate change," the prime minister forecast, will be paved with well-paid jobs, billions in investment and thriving green industries ... by moving first and taking bold action, we will build a defining competitive edge in electric vehicles, offshore wind, carbon capture technology and more."

Back in the real world, matters stand rather differently. Far from forging ahead of the rest, Britain risks falling behind in the new industrial revolution, as latest figures from the Office for National Statistics make depressingly clear. The green economy more or less flatlined between 2014 and 2020, the ONS found. Employment in the low-carbon and renewable energy sectors - which include manufacturing, energy supply and construction - actually fell. This dismal state of affairs predated the Covid pandemic and the accompanying recession.