Karnataka is the fifth most industrialised state in India and among the top producers of cement and iron and steel. As per the Green Growth Strategy for Karnataka, developed by GGGI, the industrial sector in the state is a dominant electricity consumer, with cement and iron and steel plants accounting for almost 40% of the total industrial electricity demand. In this context, the strategy identified Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) as an important energy efficiency (EE) measure that could be harnessed by the state, especially for the cement and iron and steel industries.
From instituting carbon taxes to strengthening social and economic resilience, finance ministers have access to a wide range of policy instruments with which to manage the effects of climate change. A new initiative, Climate Action Peer Exchange (CAPE), aims to provide a capacity-building forum for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and advisory support for finance ministries. The initiative brings together finance ministers, senior technical staff, and other relevant stakeholders to design climate-smart macroeconomic policies, discuss fiscal-policy measures for mitigating the impact of climate change, and develop financing strategies for implementing the nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
What is a ‘Green Energy Economy’ (GEE)? Opinions differ, but it can be defined as the scientific and policy subject area that focuses on how the expansion of resource-efficient and low-carbon energy technology systems, markets and services can bring together economic, environmental, social and security aspects. A key focus of a GEE is on policies and strategies that are designed to foster the rapid transition towards sustainable energy-economy systems. The 2008–2009 global financial crisis led to the implementation of numerous ‘green growth’ economic stimulus packages (mostly fiscal incentives) that targeted low-carbon energy technologies. These initiatives were quickly presented as the key elements in the transition to green growth, in which low-carbon energy technologies would play a pivotal role.
With a deal ratified from the recent Paris Climate Conference, attention now turns to the difficult task of actually achieving national emissions reduction targets. This will involve a delicate trade-off between different policies and investments, each with varying overall welfare benefits to society and financial returns to investors. In other words, with the same potential to reduce emissions, how to select between an intervention option that is costly, but generates a substantial number of jobs; and a second one that costs less, but does not contribute to employment creation?
As governments often prioritize the former (welfare benefits to society) while markets favor the later (cost minimizing interventions), climate change and green growth policies will continue to be a battleground of competing interests. New types of data and information will be required to bridge these gaps and illuminate common ground.
Are you a city-dweller, concerned about the challenges of urbanisation, resilience and inclusiveness?
Cities and urban areas represent unrivalled concentrations of people, economic growth, commercial networks, and innovation – and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the transition towards a low-carbon world. A starting point would be to explore multi-level governance solutions that allow cities to continue developing in a sustainable manner. But to get there, we must first understand the issues at the core of decision and policy-making between national and subnational levels of government. Tackling the underlying issues is essential to make green growth a reality for all cities, big and small.
For the second time, the International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization vibrated to the rhythm of the Academy on the Green Economy. This year, the Academy brought together some 150 participants from 35 countries, in Turin, Italy. A gathering of government policy makers, development practitioners, researchers, representatives of workers, employers and civil society organisations – it is a unique forum to learn and share knowledge about and experiences on the transition to inclusive green economies. The Academy is held every other year, under the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a joint programme of UN Environment, The International Labor Organization, the UN Industrial Development Organization, the UN Institute for Training and Research and the UN Development Programme.