News

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) launched its annual report, Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries, during its 11th Annual Conference on 8 November 2018. The report takes note of the Arab region’s immense funding gap towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the detrimental effects of long-lasting war and conflict on sustainable development and the region’s economy.

A new report from UN Environment shows that investing in coral reefs to prevent their current rate of decline could net $37b for Indonesia, $35b for Mesoamerican Reef by 2030. Without urgent intervention, the world is on track to lose up to 90 per cent of its coral reefs within the next 30 years. Private sector investment is urgently needed to close the funding gaps in one of the world’s vital ecosystems.

From 7-9 November, the inno4sd.net Symposium is taking place in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If you are unable to join in person, click here for links to the livestream of the event.

In November 2018, leading institutions geared towards sustainability convened in Paris, France to debate and discuss the best ways forward to a greener future in three key areas: green finance, natural capital, and green growth.

Three papers presented at the "Green Transformation and Competitive Advantage Conference" have been recognized for their outstanding policy relevance. The conference was jointly held by the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), and the German Corporation for International Cooperation / Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in June 2018.

For the first time, a pilot study shows how many raw materials and other products are traded from Switzerland and how large the associated environmental impact is. It is almost nineteen times higher than the environmental impact of Switzerland's final consumption.

New research from OECD, UN Environment and World Bank says serious and rapid investment in sustainable upgrades and alternatives is needed to limit climate change. The report finds that energy, transport, buildings and water infrastructure contribute more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

A preview of the OECD's Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060 was released today at the World Circular Economy Forum in Yokohama, Japan. The report sees global materials use rising to 167 Gigatonnes in 2060 from 90 Gigatonnes today as the world population soars to 10 billion people and average global income per capita rises to converge with the current OECD level of USD 40,000.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) took an initial step towards the potential development of a green industry program at the 5th Green Industry Conference for Sustainable Development, held in Bangkok on 3-5 October 2018. At the event, the GGKP held a soft launch of of the new Green Industry Platform, currently being migrated to the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) from UNIDO.

The call for contributions is now open for Resilient Cities 2019, the 10th Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation, which will take place from 26 - 28 June 2019 in Bonn, Germany. The deadline for application is 2 November 2018.