South West of England Regional Development Agency

Our role

The RDA’s role is to lead the development of a sustainable economy in the South West, investing to unlock the region’s business potential.

Sustainable development is a key part of our work and it influences much of what we do and how we do it.

We believe the key challenge is to help the region achieve the right kind of economic growth – growth that is:
* Fuelled more by increased productivity than increased employment
* Within environmental limits

Climate change and the low carbon economy
Climate change is happening and there is no doubt that human activity is the primary driver of these changes in climate.

The urgent need is both to reduce emissions and to ensure that the region’s economy can adapt to likely changes that will result from global warming. The RDA has a responsibility to lead the region’s economic response to this unprecedented challenge, and to promote more sustainable development. The nature of our region also means that we have an opportunity to lead other regions in addressing climate change, and to put the South West at the forefront of technological, economic and business response.