Low Carbon Roadmaps elaborated by industrial sectors showed a clear need for the development and large scale demonstration of innovative low carbon industrial processes, as well as new high added value low carbon products.

Acquiring new competences may serve as an important proactive tool to maintain and increase employment security as well as to be better protected against job losses.A massive effort of skills upgrading at all levels of qualifications, the development of human capital, and effective investment in education will be essential to set the EU back on the road to recovery, to confront demographic change and to benefit from the transition to an energy efficient, low-carbon economy.

To achieve the strategic energy objective set out above means transforming Europe into a highly energy efficient and low CO2 energy economy, catalysing a new industrial revolution , accelerating the change to low carbon growth and, over a period of years, dramatically increasing the amount of local, low emission energy that we produce and use.

Immediate/Short-termLonger term | Reduction in demand (e.g. smaller engines)Advanced high-efficiency ICEsImproved hybrid electric designs with petrol, diesel, biodieselBio-diesel; bio-ethanolCo-processing of biomass with fossil fuelsSynthetic fuels from gas/coal-Fischer-TropschBiofuels from ligno-cellulosic feedstocksElectric vehicles (EVs) with advanced battery electricity storageHydrogen with fuel cellsAir transport: hydrogen/gas turbine | Low/medium temperature solar thermal applications for hot water, heating, cooling, industrial processesCombined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT)Nuclear fission (Gen III/III+)Wind energy (including offshore/ ...[+++]deep offshore)System integration (grid issues)Solid biomassFuel cells (SOFC, MCFC)Geothermal energy (including deep geothermal – HDR/HFR)Carbon capture and storage (CCS)Cleaner use of coal (steam/gas turbine, combined cycle) with CCSAdvanced fossil fuel plants (super/ultra-supercritical steam; Integrated Gasification CC (IGCC), with CCSSolar photovoltaic (PV)Solar thermal power plantsOcean energy (wave, sea current)Nuclear fission – Generation IVNuclear fusion |

A carbon tax does not appear anywhere in the Green Budget Coalition recommendations, but it is interesting that when we met with various officials in a whole bunch of different federal departments Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, and Finance we were told, unprompted and independent of one another, that the most effective way to deal with climate change would be to apply a carbon tax.

Hence, if climate change is to be minimised more research is needed into carbon sequestration or clean coal consumption techniques, as well as into renewables and energy-efficient technologies.