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Low carbon businesses are set to fuel future economic growth, according to the minister of state for energy and climate change.

In an article for the Times, Greg Barker said Britain's post-recession success will be judged by how well the economy adapts to the shift away from a "reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuel" towards a more efficient and cleaner model.

Company bosses will increasingly see the value of embracing green strategies, with benefits for themselves, their customers and the environment, while Mr Barker also said that a low-carbon economy will help the country deliver "energy security" and meet its "ambitious climate-change targets".

"Leaner and greener businesses across the country are therefore not just an exciting example of Great British innovation, they are a non-negotiable part of our long-term economic recovery," he stated.

In addition, the move towards a greener way of working across multiple industries could create thousands of new jobs and businesses should see the shift as an opportunity, Mr Barker said.

"The shift to a low carbon economy represents a huge opportunity for UK exports too. The global market for low carbon goods and services is currently worth £3.2 trillion and is estimated to grow to over £4 trillion by 2015," he added.

The challenge for policymakers and company leaders is not simply to produce clean energy, but also to create a growing market of products that consume less energy. It is becoming apparent, that energy efficiency will be "a key benchmark of a globally competitive company in the new century."

"Within the first one hundred days we have already taken action to fulfil the prime minister's pledge for this to be the greenest government ever. We are working to create a Green Investment Bank to help boost low carbon investment, creating jobs and prosperity as the economy recovers," Mr Barker noted.

If you have acquired environmental responsibilities for your company recently and want to be sure you are meeting your legal requirements, then our Getting Started in the Environment course provides a useful introduction.