Improving environmental performance, tackling global warming and enhancing resource management are high on the list of global challenges that must be addressed urgently. The information and communications technology (ICT) industry needs to further improve its environmental performance (it is responsible for around 2-3% of the global carbon footprint), and ICT applications have very large potential to enhance performance across the economy and society (the remaining 97-98%). Governments and business associations have introduced a range of programmes and initiatives on ICT and the environment to address environmental challenges, particularly global warming and energy use. Some government programmes also contribute to national targets set in the Kyoto Protocol (e.g. Denmark’s Action Plan for Green IT and Japan’s Green IT Initiative). Business associations have mainly developed initiatives to reduce energy costs and to demonstrate corporate social responsibility. This survey analyses 92 government programmes and business initiatives across 22 OECD countries plus the European Commission.
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.
These guidelines will focus on the assessment of managed resources by providing additional detail, key ecological concepts and methodologies for completing a resource assessment, and guidance to incorporate findings into management plans and monitoring systems.
The present document complements the guidelines developed by UNCTAD (2009) for the development and implementation of management plans for wild collected plant species used by organisations working with natural ingredients.
Section 2 will feature examples of applied resource assessments using specific case studies for three traded species based on two information sources: existing cases of UNCTAD BioTrade partners and examples from scientific publications or project reports.
Rapid economic growth in India during the last two decades has accentuated the demand for energy and natural resources related to water, land and forests. Based on a review of the current policy framework in these areas and data from fieldwork in the northeastern region of India, this paper addresses two inter-related themes: (i) how emerging economies like India have dealt with the question of access to resources in response to the opposing demands of inclusive growth and social divides; and (ii) the specific case study of the 'Green Mission' and hydroelectric power (HEP) dams on the river Teesta in India’s northeastern Himalayan region.
This summary was prepared by Eldis.
This report sets out WWF's perspectives on green economies – why they are needed, what they are, and how to get there – and shows how WWF is working around the world to make the shift to green economies happen. This report also suggests some priority actions that governments in the UK should take to foster the conditions for sustainable innovations to flourish in businesses and communities.
It is estimated that transitioning to a low-carbon, and climate resilient economy, and more broadly “greening growth” over the next 20 years to 2030 will require significant investment and consequently private sources of capital on a much larger scale than previously. With their USD 28 trillion in assets, pension funds - along with other institutional investors - potentially have an important role to play in financing such green growth initiatives.
Green projects - particularly sustainable energy sources and clean technology - include multiple technologies, at different stages of maturity, and require different types of financing vehicle. Most pension funds are more interested in lower risk investments which provide a steady, inflation adjusted income stream - with green bonds consequently gaining interest as an asset class, particularly - though not only - with the SRI universe of institutional investors.
Quoting a joint analysis undertaken by the OECD and the IEA, G-20 leaders committed in September 2009 to "rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption." This report draws on previous OECD work to assess the impact on international trade of phasing out fossil-fuel consumption subsidies provided mainly by developing and emerging economies. The analysis employed the OECD’s ENV-Linkages General-Equilibrium model and used the IEA’s estimates of consumer subsidies, which measure the gap existing between the domestic prices of fossil fuels and an international reference benchmark. It shows that a co-ordinated multilateral removal of fossil-fuel consumption subsidies over the 2013-2020 period would increase global trade volumes by a very small amount (0.1%) by 2020. While seemingly negligible, this increase hides the large disparities that are observed across countries (or regions) and products. Under the central scenario, which assumes a multilateral subsidy removal over the 2013-2020 period, trade in natural gas would be most affected, with a 6% decrease by 2020.
Denmark’s green growth strategy focuses on moving the energy system away from fossil fuels and investing in green technologies, while limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On the whole, current policies should allow Denmark to reach near-term climate change targets, but may not be sufficient to achieve its most ambitious targets. The challenge is to achieve objectives in a cost-effective manner and to ensure that these ambitions contribute as much as possible to global GHG emissions mitigation and to stronger and greener growth in Denmark. Better exploiting interactions with EU and international policies, finding the appropriate way to support green technologies and reducing GHG emissions in sectors not covered by the EU emission trading scheme are key issues which need to be addressed to meet this challenge. This Working Paper relates to the 2012 OECD Economic Survey of Denmark.
This plan, produced by Climate Works Australia, sets out emissions reductions opportunities for Australia, the challenges faced in capturing them, and actions required to succeed. The report identifies opportunities available to businesses as well as guiding the actions required for Government and consumers to achieve the emissions reductions for Australia at the lowest possible cost. The report is not a national strategy of the Australian Government per se, but it was funded through the Australian Carbon Trust and regional and national governmental departments.
The ‘Building a Low‐Carbon Indian Economy’ report, by the Confederation of Indian Industry, recognises that although India is undergoing a phase of rapid industrial development there are clear signs that ‘industry in India has adopted an approach that can help India leapfrog to a low‐carbon economy’. The report asserts that this can be done by adopting suitable policies to promote non‐carbon intensive fuels, renewables and state‐of‐the‐art technologies to promote energy efficiency.
The strategy identifies 12 priority areas with the potential to mitigate India’s carbon emissions and put the country on the path to a low‐carbon economy. These are: Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Cleaner Conventional Energy Technologies, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Free and Open Markets, Green Buildings, The Aviation Sector, Water Efficiency, Agriculture, Afforestation, Research & Development and Financing.
The document concludes by providing specific actions to be undertaken by government, industry and civil society independently, that will put India on a path to a low‐carbon economy.