More recent estimates indicate that employment in private environment-related businesses had already reached 1.4 million in 2006, compared to about 76 500 employed in the public environmental administration (MOE, 2009). Initiatives such as the “Eco-Town Programme” to improve resource and waste management have positively contributed to local development and employment, supporting industrial restructuring in favour of environment-related sectors. In 2008, the government launched similar initiatives - the “Eco-Model City Projects” and the “Biomass Towns” - to stimulate a local development based on climate-related activities and biomass energy (OECD, 2010a).