The Second Environmental Performance Review of Georgia takes stock of the progress made by Georgia in the management of its environment since the country was first reviewed in 2001.
This report analyzes the experiences of countries that have undertaken reform of their fossil-fuel subsidies and establishes what lessons can be learned. It focuses in particular on France, Ghana and Senegal, as well as drawing from case studies of other countries and previous work that examines the reform of energy subsidies and price subsidies.
The study finds that, once in place, fossil-fuel subsidies are extremely difficult to remove. There is no single formula for success, and country circumstances and changing global conditions must be taken into account. However, strategies can be identified that contribute to successful reform and respond to individual country circumstances. This paper focuses on six important strategies that appear to improve the chances of lasting change:
This literature review assesses the extent to which developing countries can make the transition towards low or lower patterns of growth. It explores the potential impacts of climate change on economic growth and the investment needs for increasing growth resilience. The paper outlines the challenge of establishing patterns of low carbon growth and discusses the cost of greenhouse gas mitigation. The feasibility of low carbon growth in developing countries is explored, including a review of the evidence, the economic impacts, its limitations and possible next-steps. The literature suggests that significant mitigation levels can be achieved without having a major impact on growth objectives. The paper presents the various aspects of climate resilient growth patterns and how to realise them respectively. Topics covered include a review of the evidence and methods, understanding the political context and the matter of technological deployment.
Written by the research team of at the Institute for Labor Studies, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, China, this study presents both the current situation and potential for green employment in China, as well as results of surveys conducted in eight companies in the power industry. In China, green employment can be defined as work in industries, sectors, enterprises, and positions which have low input, high output, low consumption, low emissions, recyclability and sustainability. The purpose of the study is to make policy recommendations for China’s transition toward green employment.
This report provides recommendations to develop and implement policy reforms supporting market formation and fostering a favorable climate for investments in the sectors of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. This wide-ranging regional assessment is based on case studies, expert workshops and senior policy maker seminars. It encourages policy makers to focus on: “quick wins” to demonstrate rapid results and increase political support through those measures that can be introduced in less than a year and are likely to produce significant impact at moderate costs; “essentials” as the backbone of a comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy policy, affecting the areas of great
The social goals of reducing unemployment and enabling ecologically sustainable development are more likely to be achieved if the spatial dimensions of economic policy are made explicit. Looking from this perspective, this article considers recent policy initiatives undertaken by the federal Labor government in response to the global financial crisis. Investment in infrastructure is assessed by comparing where government expenditure is being targeted with the regional distribution of unemployment. The expansion of ‘green’ jobs is considered in relation to the prospects of marrying concerns of growth, equity and sustainability with proactive urban and regional policies.