Any transition to a sustainable and equitable ‘green economy’ will require restructuring patterns of production, consumption and distribution and finding innovative development ‘alternatives’ to achieve justice on a global scale. Social dimensions – including social and distributive policies, social relationships and institutions, and the ability of all groups to participate in or contest policy choices – will be critical in driving this transformation. However, these dimensions have consistently received least attention in the triad of issues that define sustainable development.
This publication focuses on the review of policy and financing options to catalyse finance toward green, low-emission and climate-resilient development. It is part of a series of manuals, guidebooks and toolkits that draws upon the experience and information generated by the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) support for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in some 140 countries over the past decade. In a flexible and non-prescriptive manner, the reports offer detailed step-by-step guidance for the identification of key stakeholders and establishment of participatory planning and coordination frameworks; generation of climate change profiles and vulnerability scenarios; identification and prioritisation of mitigation and adaptation options; assessment of financing requirements; and development of low emission climate-resilient roadmaps for project development, policy instruments and financial flows.
This summary was prepared by Eldis.
The Road to Rio+20 publications, by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development provide a series of essay compilations, all based around the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of making the transition to a development‐led green economy. Road to Rio+20 comprises three issues released in March 2011, November 2011 and June 2012.
The first issue aims to contextualise the green economy, examine the pros and cons from different perspectives, identify the critical issues and provide a case study to look at a specific green economy initiative. The second issue provides a series of real world references for governments, businesses and civil society; what is referred to in this volume as ‘pathways to a development‐led green economy’. The third issue moves forward the debate, focusing primarily on commitments and outcomes and the potential of Rio+20 to generate innovative ideas, policies and to consolidate sustainable development strategies of governments.
As an intellectual contribution to the Rio+20 preparatory process, the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer‐Range Future convened a small task force of experts to discuss the role of institutions in the actualization of a green economy in the context of sustainable development. The report includes papers by experts from academia, government, and civil society on what the world has learned about institutions for sustainable development from the past, and what can be proposed about the governance challenges and opportunities for the continuous development of a green economy in the future. Based on these papers, the report synthesizes six recommendations for the Rio+20 process: think boldly and move incrementally; take economic policy seriously; recognize what is working and what is not working; make implementation the focus; the state remains central but non‐state actors have to be better accommodated; and put equity at the center.
This summary was prepared by the Division for Sustainable Development, UNDESA.
The 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) adopted by the Chinese government in March 2011 devotes considerable attention to energy and climate change and establishes a new set of targets and policies for 2011-2015. While some of the targets are largely in line with the status quo, other aspects of the plan represent more dramatic moves to reduce fossil energy consumption, promote low-carbon energy sources, and restructure China’s economy. Among the goals is to “gradually establish a carbon trade market.” Key targets include:
Going for Growth 2011 highlights the structural reforms needed to restore long-term growth in the wake of the crisis. For each OECD country and, for the first time, six key emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa), five reform priorities are identified.