On February 4, 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron made a speech in which he spoke to the competitive necessity of his government's investments in the green economy. Speaking at the official launch of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC) new Energy Efficiency Mission, Cameron boldly addressed his critics by saying
"So to those who say we just can't afford to prioritize green energy right now, my view is we can't afford not to. Far from being a drag on growth, making our energy sources more sustainable, our energy consumption more efficient and our economy more resilient to energy price shocks – those things are a vital part of the growth and wealth that we need."