This study was commissioned by the united nations environment programme unep at the request of the government of mauritius. The examples below illustrate just two perspectives on the green economy. In a green economy, growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment into such economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. A green economy is one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcity. The south african approach is to ensure that green economy programmes are to be supported by practical and implementable action plan therefore importance of building on existing best processes, programmes, initiatives and indigenous knowledge in key sectors towards a resource efficient, low carbon and proemployment growth path and that. Investment in energy efficiency has been found to generate significant returns within a short payback period. Articles and excerpts that illustrate green economy and. The green economy and social and environmental entrepreneurship development in africa project funded by the european union. This slide is a wordcloud created from the existing definition for green economy. With a little over 10 years left to meet the target date of 2030, the world will need to pick up the pace and put greater efforts in finding better solutions to pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss in order to truly transform societies and economies. Green economy is not yet defined clearly and consistently. Benefits, challenges and risks from a sustainable development perspective summary of background papers jose antonio ocampo columbia university the concept of a green economy has become a center of policy debates in recent years. The report is compiled by uneps green economy initiative in collaboration with economists and experts worldwide. Green economy strategy and implementation plan 20162030 is geared towards enabling kenya to attain a higher economic growth rate consistent with the vision 2030, which firmly embeds the principles of sustainable development in the over.
We must decouple economic development from environmental degradation while ensuring that the transition to green economies creates opportunities and promotes wellbeing for all. In recent years, kenya has adopted several green economy related approaches and policies, which include implementing renewable energy feedin tariffs in 2008, embedding sustainable natural resource utilization into its 2010 constitution and mainstreaming. Page 2016, green economy learning assessment south africa. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politically applied focus. System of environmental economic accounting seea 1. Green economy concepts and overview of green economy methods.
It demonstrates that the greening of economies is not generally a drag on growth but rather a new engine of growth. It provides recommendations on how greening the agriculture, energy and forestry sectors can catalyze a transition to a green economy. Within unep, the green economy initiative includes three sets of activities. The 2011 unep green economy report argues that to be green, an economy must not only be efficient, but also fair. Green economy in blue world united nations development. Information on the origin and meaning of a green economy, and how a green economy can be implemented in south africa, is described. This exploratory report on the green economy erge was created under the green economy initiative launched by the united nations environment programme unep in 2008. The united nations environment programme unep, with the contributions of experts around the world, has produced a document containing more than 600 pages that explore environmental problems in great detail 2, together with a synthesis for policy makers. Multiple green economy and green growth definitions have been developed, including the following. The green economy must be promoted if these barriers are to be removed. An inclusive green economy is an alternative to todays dominant economic model, which exacerbates inequalities, encourages waste, triggers resource scarcities, and generates widespread threats to the environment and human health. United nations system, has a key role as the steward for green growth. The key reference point for much of the work on the green economy comes from the united nations environment programme unep.
Defining a green economy a green economy can be defined as one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Delivering the green economy through financial policy inquiry into the design of a sustainable financial system 1. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of page and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of any government. Steering towards a green economy is an introduction to green economy concepts, ideas and actions with particular relevance to south africa. Producing a green economy report and related research materials, which will analyse the macroeconomic, sustainability and poverty reduction implications of green investment in a range of sectors from renewable energy to sustainable agriculture, and providing guidance. Delivering the green economy through financial policy. United nations environment programme unep, adapting for a green economy is based on the results of a qualitative survey of business leaders who support the caring for climate initiative, a joint united nations global compact unep platform involving more than 400 businesses committed to advancing climate action. Articles and excerpts that illustrate green economy and sustainable development efforts. A green economy is defined as low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Unep defines a green economy as one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. A handbook iv the united nations environment programme the united nations environment programme unep is the overall coordinating environmental organization of the united nations system. Evolution of the concept of green economy introduction. Over the past decade, the concept of the green economy has emerged as a strategic priority for many governments. The green economy is defined as economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.
If current trends continue, the global per capita use of natural resources will increase by 70 per cent by 2050. Ilo, ioe and ituc and the international institute for. Uneps green economy initiative gei aims to assist governments in greening their economies by reshaping and refocusing policies, investments and spending towards a range of sectors, such as clean technologies, renewable energies, water services, green transportation, waste management. Green economy concepts and overview of green economy.
There is no single model of the green economy, but multiple forms of locally specific greeneconomy activity. It was founded as a result of the united nations conference on the human environment in june 1972. Internationally developed assessment methods for a green economy 3. We work to accelerate the transition to resourceefficient and sustainable economies. Two supporting context briefings provide additional information for the main briefing and research insights. Its mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring. Climate current global ghg emissions at 42 gt per annum.
The transition to a green economy can occur successfully by investing in areas that decouple economic growth from resource use and environmental impacts. In essence, it is possible to combine the need for development, and at the same time respect the limit of the local, regional, and global environmental systems. Unep has been pushing for a green economy by promoting low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive policies. A green economy is one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and. Kenya has one of the most dynamic economies in africa, yet it is facing a number of pressing economic, environmental and social challenges. About green economy department of environmental affairs.
Inifiafives such as uneps green economy inifiafive and the oecds. Critical competencies for driving a green transition. United nations environment programme unep, adapting for a green economy is based on the results of a qualitative survey of business leaders who support the caring for climate initiative, a joint united nations global compactunep platform involving more than 400 businesses committed to. In response, the green economy ge movement has emerged.
United nations environment programme unep unep coordinates united nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. Annual progress report a guidance manual for green economy. The report makes a compelling economic and social case for investing two per cent of global gdp in greening ten central sectors of the economy in order to shift development and. Green economy assessment report kenya green growth. A guidebook to the green economy sustainable development. Local governments and cities that measure their resource profile 8 countries 26 countries 14 cities supported by unep in building capacity and analytical support. We promote the transition to economies that are low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Realizing national green economies will be a key cornerstone of uneps work over the coming year as countries, companies and communities wrestle with the. Unep defined a green economy as an economy that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while. Unep, word bank, global green growth institute, as well. During the recent global financial crisis, the united nations general assembly and. Annual progress report a guidance manual for green. Uneps working definition of a green economy a system of economic activities related to the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services that result in improved human well being over the long term, while not exposing future generations to significant environmental risks and. Another more elaborate definition of green economy is.
This slide presents uneps definition of green economy. This report is the result of the collaborative efforts of the green jobs initiative which includes unep. Unep s definition of a green economy is the most widely used and authenticated one. Fairness implies recognizing global and country level equity dimensions, particularly in assuring a just transition to an economy that is lowcarbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive. United nations environment programme and world tourism organization 2012, tourism in the green economy background report, unwto, madrid. According to the unep, through a transition to the green economy it will be possible to. Introduction to green economy annotated reference list. It is also responsible for much of the science on which a sustainable future will be built. The key principle is that the green economy is about seeking economic opportunities from. It is concluded that coexistence of the trio green economy green growth sustainable development is reasonable due to the complementary and synergistic nature of correlations between these concepts.
It aims to enable senegal to seize the opportunities offered by the green economy. Green economy and trade trends, challenges and opportunities. Guidebook to the green economy provided a guide to the history and emerging definitions of green economy and related concepts such as green growth and lowcarbon development1. The united nations environment programme unep defines the green economy as one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities 2010. He was part of the team that conceptualized and launched the unep green economy initiative. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Disclaimer the designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the united nations environment programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of. Disclaimer this publication has been produced with the support of page funding partners. A system of economic activities related to the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. A healthy environment plays a key role in meeting many of the 17 sustainable development goals. All unwto and unep joint publications are protected by. Module 1 introduction to the green economy approach. The report makes a compelling economic and social case for investing two per cent of global gdp in greening ten central. However, green economy is still a novel concept and refers to a mix of existing and emerging sectors, topics, principles and concepts.
Kenya green economy strategy and implementation plan 2016. It also included a concise guide to approximately 90 recent green economy publications including reports, policy papers, toolkits and national strategies. A green economy is one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity. Ghana provides comparative scenarios for future growth that estimates economic, environmental and social impacts. Unep defined a green economy as one that generates increaseing prosperity while at the same time reducing our environmental impact. Pdf the chapter is an attempt to answer the question. The unep recent report1 discusses a number of recommendations that would provide the necessary conditions for a successful transition to a green economy such as green investment and sustainable consumption patterns through tax incentives and marketbased instruments, green public. The idea of a green economy had its origins in the report blueprint for a green economy prepared by pearce, markandya and barbier 1989 for the uk department of the environment.
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