"Green growth"

The green economy: ten global facts


The London Array, planned for the Thames Estuary, could become the world's largest offshore windfarm.


A proposed tidal barrage over the River Severn could provide 5 per cent of the UK's electricity. It would cost £15bn and cut carbon emissions by 16 billion tonnes a year.


Barack Obama will invest $150bn in renewables, in the hope of creating five million new jobs in the US.


Abu Dhabi's Masdar Initiative, launched in 2006, will invest $15bn in global green energy. It will take eight years and cost $22bn to build Masdar City , which will rely entirely upon renewable energy.


Qatar is investing $150m in developing green technology in the UK.


There is one large-scale commercial tidal power station in the world - in Brittany, France. It has operated for 30 years without mechanical breakdown and has recovered the initial capital costs.


Consumer goods in Japan will soon be labelled with their carbon footprints. Producing a packet of crisps emits 75 grams of CO2.


Nine out of ten new cars in Brazil use ethanol-based biofuels. Flex-fuel vehicles make up 26 per cent of the country's light vehicle fleet.


Since 2006, disposable chopsticks in China have been taxed at 5 per cent, safeguarding 1.3 million cubic metres of timber every year. Green venture capital accounts for 19 per cent of China's investments.


The Australian government has invested $10.4bn in making 1.1 million homes more energy-efficient, creating 160,000 jobs.