There is a skills shortage among contractors and other professionals when it comes to installing and maintaining green technology, experts have said.

Alex Randall, spokesman for the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) said that the government should be focusing on training and education to target the issue, adding that the skills shortage is a bigger problem than resource depletion when it comes to moving to a zero-carbon society.

He continued that the UK needs to change so it is less dependent on scarce sources.

"This primarily means changing the way we generate energy and a massive switch from fossil fuels to renewables. However this requires training many thousands of people in the new skills that the country will need to make this transition," he advised. 

Meanwhile, a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that certain materials and resources are under threat, meaning their long term market price is uncertain.