Climate change, energy security, local quality of life, environmental protection – they all point to a future built around an efficient economy powered by renewable energy.

But we can’t make that future happen until finance starts flowing at speed and scale into energy efficiency and clean technologies. For example, the Existing Homes Alliance estimate energy efficiency improvements in homes will need investment in the range of £200-400 billion if all homes are to cut emissions by 80%. This could support over 170,000 jobs by 2020.

Governments of all parties have delayed securing the necessary investments for years, but recently this began to change – in part due to pressure from civil society.

Yet the new Government has already indicated that all spending commitments by the Labour Party on low carbon development are up for review. The coalition Government must live up to their promise to be the ‘greenest Government ever’ and protect these commitments, safeguard investment in a green future, and ensure that our transition to a low carbon economy goes further and faster than ever before.

The Government must protect and expand its investments in energy efficiency and clean technologies, nurturing skills and jobs in these growing markets in the UK and in Europe. An accelerated programme of energy efficiency delivery must be ready to go by the end of 2012. This cannot rely solely on the market to deliver – the Government must intervene and lead otherwise it will not be able to deliver savings fast enough to reach our climate targets.

You can take action and help make this happen by joining.

You can take action and help make this happen by joining the Big Climate Connection.