The "Guidelines for developing eco-efficient and socially inclusive infrastructure" provide practical tools for city planners and decision makers to reform urban planning and infrastructure design according to the principles of eco-efficiency and social inclusiveness. The guidelines build on knowledge accrued and lessons learned though case studies and pilot projects conducted in cities across Asia and Latin America. It is based on the recognized need for an urgent shift in the way urban infrastructure is planned, designed and managed in order to respond to the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, globalization and climate change. The guidelines contain sections on: the importance of building urban infrastructure in an eco-efficient and inclusive way; what strategies planners can use to facilitate eco-efficient and inclusive outcomes; how they should be integrated in a strategic planning cycle; and who is making the change based on best practices examples from Singapore, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Philippines, Japan, Tajikistan and Chile.
Start-up firms play a crucial role in bringing to the market the innovations needed to move to a greener growth path. Risk finance is essential for allowing new ventures to commercialise new ideas and grow, especially in emerging sectors. Still, very little is known about the drivers and the characteristics of risk finance in the green sector. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing a detailed description of risk finance in the green sector across 29 OECD and BRIICS countries over the period 2005-2010 and identifying the role that policies might have in shaping high-growth investments in this sector. Results are drawn from a comprehensive deal-level database of businesses seeking financing in the green industry combined with indicators of renewable policies and government R&D expenditures.
This chapter in Ensuring Good Global Governance through Trade presents an analysis of sustainable development goals in the context of two mega-regional trade agreements: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). These preferential trade agreements present a more efficient vehicle by which to promote sustainable development than the multilateral trading platform. The chapter discusses sustainable development and energy within the proposed TTIP. The TTIP aims to further economic growth, investment and trade between the United States and the European Union (EU), and could potentially have a very large impact as the U.S.-EU trade and investment flows are sizeable and a critical element in global commerce. The chapter argues that the TTIP has the potential to foster sustainable development, energy efficiency, and energy security.
This report describes a pilot project to design an integrated framework to inform and support land use planning. It analyses interaction of social, economic and environmental factors in shaping future land use needs through a transparent system dynamics simulation model and generates projections up to 2035 to analyse the short, medium and longer-term consequences of road construction on society and land use in the DTL, along the ‘Road to Dawei’. The aim is to allow policymakers, land use planners and other interested stakeholder to test the multi-dimensional impact of green economy interventions aimed at improving sustainability in the area. Results are communicated in biophysical and economic terms, also including the valuation of natural capital (stocks, flows and ecosystem services). Though still in initial stages of development, this study has already helped understanding the key drivers of change in the area, identifying data collection needs, and defining their use to carry out a green economy analysis.
Eco-innovation will be a key driver of industry efforts to tackle climate change and realise "green growth" in the post-Kyoto era. Eco-innovation calls for faster introduction of breakthrough technologies and for more systemic application of available solutions, including non-technological ones. It also offers opportunities to involve new players, develop new industries and increase competitiveness. Structural change in economies will be imperative in coming decades.
This book presents the research and analysis carried out during the first phase of the OECD Project on Sustainable Manufacturing and Eco-innovation. Its aim is to provide benchmarking tools on sustainable manufacturing and to spur eco-innovation through better understanding of innovation mechanisms. It reviews the concepts and forms an analytical framework; analyses the nature and processes of eco-innovation; discusses existing sustainable manufacturing indicators; examines methodologies for measuring eco-innovation; and takes stock of national strategies and policy initiatives for eco-innovation.
In October 2013, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced her government’s plan to issue green bonds. The Government of Ontario will be the first province in Canada to issue green bonds, but not the first government agency in Canada to do so. Export Development Canada issued a green bond in January 2014, and TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, has issued very similar bonds without adding the ‘green’ label. The Ontario government plans to use the bond proceeds for investment in "transit and other environmentally friendly infrastructure projects across the province." At press time, the Government of Ontario had not released further details regarding the specific allocation of the bonds’ proceeds.
In green economies, natural capital is incorporated into measurement of societal progress and equity, and recognized and managed as a fundamental pillar of economic and human well-being. The Lower Mekong region must demonstrate success in living up to commitments to maintain ecosystem integrity before claims to having ‘greened’ growth can be made. A first step in making this commitment is ensuring that there is adequate information available on the socioeconomic importance of ecosystems and the services they provide. Ecosystem services valuation is a basic component of the evidence base for decisions to invest or divest in maintaining natural systems.