The transition to a low carbon economy is a capital-intensive process requiring large scale finance combined with suitable low-carbon investment projects. There is no shortage of capital available globally – the financial sector encompasses more than EUR 100 trillion of assets globally – but several factors inhibit the expansion of private finance in low-carbon investment.
"Natural Capital in Carolina's Kitchen" is the first in a series of blogs focused on natural capital, including national strategies for integrating natural capital into development plans and actions to scale up investment in ecological infrastructure.
"Trade agreements have tremendous potential as legal instruments to help mitigate climate change and drive and deliver sustainable energy," says Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas of Queen Mary University of London, "but many questions need to be answered."
In Scandinavia, behavioural economics is increasingly applied in the context of green energy economy policy analysis. What can it tell us?
"We should think about ways to develop smart subsidies for solar electricity, accompanied by careful cost-benefit mechanisms to plan how and where to extend the grid," says Jörg Peters and Luciane Lenz – winners of the Best Paper Award at the Fifth GGKP Annual Conference.
In 2017, the Ground_Up team ran a pilot internship program that aimed to develop green advisory skills among university students. A replicable internship package has since been developed with details about the internship process, curriculum, a green business model survey, a sustainable business model canvas, and an internship report template.
Research
The Green Economy Barometer is the Green Economy Coalition's annual stock-take of the global economy, charting the advances and setbacks on the road to a fairer, greener economy, and looking ahead to what's on the horizon.
Research
It is high time to prioritize peat! How do we create markets, blend finance and catalyze private sector investment?
Climate change has the potential to disrupt labor markets in the region both directly (through events such as floods, hurricanes, heat waves, and changes in precipitation patterns) and indirectly (through changes in regulations and policies meant to fight climate change, such as green taxes or emission reduction policies). The good news is that evidence suggests that transitioning to a zero-carbon economy will result in a net creation of jobs.
Trade is usually associated with economic growth and organizations such as the World Trade Organization. Why is this topic relevant to the work of UN Environment?