In 2008 we started a new three-year research programme with Advantage West Midlands assessing progress towards a low carbon economy for the West Midlands.
Through this work we're continuing to produce reports to advance the West Midlands evidence base related to the low carbon economy and sustainable development.
2009/2010 research: progress towards a low carbon economy
Over the last year we focussed on improving the evidence base on the region's progress towards a low carbon economy. This work was about identifying where the opportunities exist for such development in the West Midlands.
As well as this large scale project, we've also continued to monitor the region's progress against low carbon targets.
Low carbon economy in the West Midlands
This research began with the Observatory taking work done at regional level for the West Midlands economic strategy on vulnerability of carbon constraints and reproducing it at local authority level.
Once we conducted the vulnerability analysis, we commissioned Atkins Global to produce a study of the opportunities for growth into the low carbon economy.
This report was designed to identify opportunities that exist for the entire West Midlands' economy, not just the environmental technologies sector.
We published the report in March 2010.
Low carbon economy in the West Midlands (pdf, 767kb)
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Subsequently we worked with the City Region to develop more detailed profiles of opportunities for growth into the low carbon economy for the City Region and its constituent local authorities. This work was published in May 2010.
Opportunities in the low carbon economy in the City Region (pdf, 968kb)
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Monitoring reports
We've produced several monitoring reports over the year. These consider the region's progress on key climate change and sustainable development indicators (supporting datasets and charts are available on the downloads tab at the top of the page):
2008/2009 research: strengthening the evidence base
In the first year of the research programme we focussed on strengthening the evidence base. Our work built on existing research and drew the various strands of evidence together.
A shorter synthesis report (pdf, 358kb) summarises highlights from our research programme for the year.
These are the full reports:
Research by partner organisations
Advantage West Midlands had already started developing the low carbon economy evidence base and, in December 2008, produced Evidence of Success (pdf, 898kb). This report summarises how they worked with partners to produce the UK's first low-carbon regional economic strategy.
Our research programme builds on previous work by URS, Arthur D. Little and Forum for the Future.
We've also been working with the West Midlands Regional Carbon Change Office to link both our work together. One of our first publications was a review of regional targets for carbon reduction (pdf, 334kb).
We're also a partner in the Sustainable Consumption & Production Network.
Growth into low carbon economy
Published 18th May 2010
Opportunities in the low carbon economy: West Midlands City Region (main report) (pdf, 968kb)
Opportunities in the low carbon economy: West Midlands City Region (technical report) (pdf, 2.8mb)
Published 8th March 2010
Low carbon economy in the West Midlands: main report (pdf, 771kb)
Low carbon economy in the West Midlands: technical report (pdf, 2.4mb)
2009/2010 research reports
Published 26th April 2010
Understanding the regional index of sustainable economic well-being in the West Midlands 2009 (pdf, 480kb)
West Midlands climate change action plan monitoring report 2009-2010: full report (pdf 460kb)
West Midlands climate change action plan monitoring report 2009-2010: dataset (xls, 4.5mb)
West Midlands climate change action plan monitoring report 2009-2010: charts (pdf, 570kb)
West Midlands greenhouse gas emission monitoring report 2009-2010: full report (pdf, 450kb)
West Midlands greenhouse gas emission monitoring report 2009-2010: dataset (xls, 89kb)
2008/2009 research reports
Published May 2009
Low carbon economy synthesis report 2008–2009 (pdf, 358kb)
Published March 2009
Understanding the West Midlands' carbon gap (pdf, 334kb)
Decoupling into a low carbon economy (pdf, 448kb)
Published February 2009
Understanding the regional index of sustainable economic well-being as an indicator of economic growth (pdf, 263kb)
Monitoring climate change action plan (2008/2009)
Published 25th February 2009
Monitoring the climate change action plan - TM1 stage one (pdf, 800kb)
Published 27th March 2009
Monitoring the climate change action plan - TM1 stage two (pdf, 966kb)
Published 26th March 2009
Key sustainable development indicators 2008–2009 - poster (pdf, 83kb)
Key sustainable development indicators 2008–2009 - commentary (pdf, 32kb)
External research reports
The 2009 regional index of sustainable economic well-being for all the English Regions (pdf, 580kb)
Evidence of success: developing the UK's first low-carbon regional economic strategy (pdf, 1mb) by Advantage West Midlands
The impacts of climate change on the economy of the West Midlands (pdf, 3.5mb) by URS
Low carbon evidence base for the West Midlands regional economic strategy (pdf, 1.1mb) by URS
Pioneering the UK's first low carbon regional economic strategy (pdf, 566kb) by Arthur D. Little