Research
What are the most important environmental challenges in the Arab world, and how can the necessary programs be funded? Najib Saab, Secretary-General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, discusses ways forward in the Arab context and presents a new AFED report on Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries.
The Spanish government unveiled a bold plan to close its coalmines by the end of 2018. Displaced workers will receive opportunities to re-train for jobs in cutting-edge green industries and former coal communities will benefit from environmental restoration programmes. Managing labour market transitions in the shift to a green economy was a central theme of the Sixth GGKP Annual Conference, held in conjunction with the OECD's 2018 Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum (GGSD) on "Inclusive solutions for the green transition: Competitiveness, jobs/skills and social dimensions" on 27-28 November 2018 in Paris, France.
Today the government of Canada announced how its federal carbon pricing system will apply across the country, and specifically how revenue collected through the carbon fuel charge will be distributed. There were various choices for revenue recycling options, with some proponents favoring tax cuts to stimulate economic activity, or others preferring incentives for businesses to invest in clean technologies.
Canada's Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance has released its interim report. It describes the growing global shift to clean growth and climate resiliency, and sets out the main types of financial products, activities and market solutions that Canada can pursue to unleash the private investment needed to capture this critical economic opportunity.
By integrating environmental concerns into the tax system, a green fiscal regime for the mining sector uses the tax system to influence environmental outcomes from mining activities. Such a regime would tax pollutants, water and energy used in the mining project, while reducing taxes on non-polluting inputs such as labour. Such an approach can be an alternative or a compliment to traditional regulatory approaches to protecting the environment.
Maria Jose Pacha, Knowledge and Networks Coordinator of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) for Latin America and the Caribbean, says that the IPCC’s Special Report on 1.5°C of global warming implies far more integrated public policy-making in Latin America – which takes account of food, energy, water and climate securities at once.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), due to their small and flexible nature are uniquely suited to pioneer green innovations and contribute to green growth, especially in local and emerging markets that may be neglected by large corporations. Given their economic and environmental importance, SMEs are vital players in achieving both inclusivity and green growth.
"One of the most direct ways that government can incentivize the transition to a circular economy is supporting circular businesses and business models through its own spending," says Ashleigh McLennan, Sustainable Procurement and Economy Officer at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.
Conventionally, economists use gross domestic product (GDP) to estimate the sustainability of the economy and the quality of societal welfare. However, this approach is not only incorrect and logically flawed, but also in gross neglect of nature’s contribution to the society.
Tools and Initiatives
Digitization and advanced technologies have a key role to play in addressing a range of sustainability challenges, including sustainable e-waste management. E-WasteExchange.com is a digital platform that allows businesses and individuals to transfer their e-waste to government authorized e-waste recyclers.