Low-carbon industries reach $534bn turnover

John Elkington

September 18, 2009

Lord Stern predicted that the low-carbon goods and services sector would be worth $500bn by 2050 – a figure that HSBC reports has already been exceeded. Revenues in the sector soared 75% in 2008, despite the recession. They are now ahead of those for the aerospace and defence sector, which stand at $530bn. HSBC now predicts that the low-carbon sector’s revenues will exceed $2,000bn by 2020. Low-carbon energy generation produced the bulk of the revenues, at $300bn, followed by energy efficiency and energy management products.