Amanda McKee, Communications and Outreach Officer for the GGKP, shares her reflections on a set of GGKP interviews carried out with thought leaders in the field of green growth.
Earlier this year, we interviewed a number of the GGKP's Advisory Committee members and Council members as well as other key thought leaders in the field of green growth. We asked them to reflect on the concept of green growth including, why it’s so important and what role the Green Growth Knowledge Platform can play in moving us towards a green economy.
The answers we received were wide-ranging, showing that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for implementing green growth transitional needs. For instance, Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, stressed the need for a new development pathway and the importance of having the right information to guide us. Mattia Romani, Deputy Director General of GGGI, and one of the GGKP’s Council Members, emphasized the need to put developing countries in the driver’s seat in exploring what green growth means to them. And Pavan Sukhdev, a member of the GGKP Advisory Committee, spoke to the importance of greening corporations.
Many more interesting thoughts emerged from our interviews, and I would encourage you to check them out on our YouTube Channel. But for now, here are some of my key reflections from the interviews:
- In discussing green growth, those we interviewed framed it not as a concept but as a framework to move towards sustainability. Only by bringing together economic and environmental policy will we be able to get to the heart of the tough developmental challenges we currently face.
- Because there is no guidebook telling us how to get from today to a world that is more sustainable, we need to build up our knowledge in this area, share our experiences, and teach each other what to do and what not to do. A platform like the GGKP can ultimately help to catalyze the creation of and facilitate the sharing on green growth knowledge.
- With the green economy spanning across a wide range of themes and sectors, it is important to have diversity in the debate, this means involving experts from different regions, different fields and different backgrounds. The GGKP is actively working to facilitate a green growth community of practice, forging links with researchers, development organizations, policy makers and members of the private sector. By serving as a platform for managing and sharing green growth knowledge, the GGKP can empower others in the transition to a green economy.
Do you have ideas on how the GGKP can futher knowledge on green growth? Join our LinkedIn group and share your thoughts!