This report examines the diverse realities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through an integrated approach. While SIDS have bountiful supplies of renewable resources and unique cultural assets, they often face daunting challenges resulting from isolation and remoteness coupled with climate change, natural disasters, and out-migration. Furthermore, global financial shocks and increasing fuel and food prices are threatening core economic sectors such as tourism.
Built on combinations of realistic outlooks, this report develops an ensemble of four island-centric futures: the blue-green economy; technology leapfrogging; priority to island community and culture; and reconnecting with nature, to help individual states consider policy choices that best respond to their needs. This report shows that there is much that SIDS can do proactively to anticipate environmental problems and their economic consequences or even avoid them through innovative planning and action.
This report on the Korean Strategy for Green Growth and its implementation in urban areas assesses the contributions of sub-national governments to Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth and identifies the main challenges for effective implementation at the local level.
Korea's economy, heavily reliant on foreign exports, was hard hit by the recent global financial crisis. Since the 1970s, Korea has become one of the most energy-intensive economies in the OECD area, thanks to higher living standards, rapid urbanisation and an expanding industrial sector. As a result, the country's greenhouse gas emissions almost doubled between 1990 and 2005, registering the highest growth rate in the OECD area. It is in this context of rapid urbanisation and unprecedented resource consumption and environmental pressures that the report focuses on the role of urban areas within Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth. The effectiveness of Korea's green growth agenda, which has been driven by a central government vision and strategy, will largely hinge on the contribution of urban areas toward more sustainable, greener growth.
This issue of the International Journal of Labour Research focuses on the question of whether the jobs that are emerging in the efforts to reach sustainable development can be described as “decent”. A series of case studies is presented which demonstrates that this seems to be far from the case. While these results remain very partial, this should be seen as an important reminder that “green” employment is not decent by definition and that like in any other sector, green jobs require careful stewardship from public authorities to ensure that workers are able to exercise their rights. This is all the more the case given the central role government policy plays in creating the enabling conditions for these industries to emerge and thrive.
This journal issue includes case studies on Korea, China and South Africa.
The report draws on presentations and discussions held during the LAC sessions of the International Conference "Water in the Green Economy in Practice: Towards Rio+20," held from 3-5 October 2011, in Zaragoza, Spain.
Launched during the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), this report is intended as a best practices guide. It contains four sections and two annexes. Section I discusses mainstreaming water into a green economy in agriculture, industry, cities and watersheds. Section II examines the challenges, approaches and lessons learned on water and green economy in LAC. Section III presents case studies from Barbados, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala. Section IV presents "the expert's perspective," answers to a series of questions put to three regional water experts.
Annex 1 offers "tools for changes," a brief review of economic incentives, green jobs, water cost recovery and financing, investments in the protection and improvement of biodiversity, promotion of water technologies. Annex 2 lists the issues presented for discussion at the Zaragoza Conference.
By presenting a selected number of successful national experiences from 2012, the progress report illustrates the different levels at which the International Labour Organization (ILO)'s Green Jobs Programme operates. The report also provides an update on the activities which will unfold in 2013 with the continued support of the Programme’s networks and partners.
This report includes case studies on Mexico, Kenya, Thailand, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, China, Turkey, Zambia and Indonesia.
The 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 greatest potential by raising standards and stimulating investments that are already financially viable; and “high cost, high return” measures that will remove fundamental barriers and will make more energy efficiency and renewable energy investments financially viable.
In a continent that is starved for energy and infrastructure, it is an enigma that India’s markets for energy efficiency have yet to take off. The authors of the report spent several months researching and debating this issue with stakeholders in India and around the world.
This white paper seeks to define the concept of a green economy within the economic, social, and environmental realities of the country. The paper's overall objective is to advance the state of knowledge in Canada on green economy concepts and practices, and to serve as a reference document for further engagement and dialogue.
More specifically, the paper addresses the following questions:
- How does a definition of the green economy in Canada balance the reality of continuing economic growth, particularly in the resource sector, with evidence of local and global environmental impacts and thresholds?
- Which indicators can provide information on Canada's progress at a macro-economic, sectoral, and firm level?
- What gaps exist in the knowledge and understanding of the green economy in Canada, particularly in terms of data and analysis?
- How can the Canadian economy become more innovative and competitive in the context of global resource scarcity, climate change, and emerging clean technologies?
This report is the results of joint research by a team from the World Bank and the Development Research Center of China’s State Council which was established to address the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in China and to help China forge a new model of urbanization. The report takes as its point of departure the conviction that China's urbanization can become more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable. However, it stresses that achieving this vision will require strong support from both government and the markets for policy reforms in a number of area.