Find Us Online: The green sector contribution to the economy It's hard to know whether the coalition pledge to be the 'greenest government ever' was an empty promise or whether it got derailed along the way. One thing's for sure, it hasn't materialized. Many Conservative backbenchers have an profound hatred of wind power, and chancellor George Osborne has a barely disguised scorn for environmentalists. Laws protecting the environment are seen as red tape to be swept away, and subsidies for clean energy have been cut. But while the government waxes hot and cold on the environment, other sectors of society are starting to pay more attention. One of the more noticeable interventions over the past few months is from the CBI, the Confederation of British Industry. It's Britain's biggest business lobbying organisation, and it has a fairly checkered record on the environment. As Friends of the Earth have detailed , the organisation has opposed environmental taxes and regulation in the past, but they're currently lobbying for more support for green industry. What's changed their tune is the realisation that in 2011-2012, the green sector of the economy will account for a whole third of Britain's economic growth. As other sectors like manufacturing and construction are stalling, green tech and renewable energy are growing, and faster than the rest of the economy. It's a little ironic to see the CBI championing the green sector, but it's a welcome development even if it is still couched in economic growth terms. It's also