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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

This report examines the current state of knowledge about green growth in cities and outlines the key research questions and protocols that will guide the OECD Green Cities programme. It builds the case for an urban green growth agenda by examining the economic and environmental conditions that have pushed the green growth agenda to the forefront of policy debate and assessing the critical role of cities in advancing green growth.

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Sustainable construction provides opportunities to address and alleviate several challenges and needs currently experienced in Gaza, including the increasing housing demand, limited availability of construction materials, insufficient energy and water provision, inadequate sanitation, as well as severe unemployment. The assessment analyses the feasibility, opportunities and challenges relating to sustainable construction in relation to the above mentioned needs and explores ways to promote green jobs. 

Springer

The phrase “Green Economy” was first mentioned in ‘Green Economy Blue Book’ by the British economist Pierre published in 1989. Green Economy promotes economic growth, instead of blocking it in the name of protecting the environment. It advocates changing extensive economic growth with the features of big investment, huge consumption, and serious pollution into intensive economic growth with the features of high efficiency, less resource-consuming, and less waste discharging and calls for harmony between economic and social growth and the proper load that nature can bear. As a new economic model aiming at harmonious development of economy and environment, Green Economy can fully satisfy the requirements of the scientific outlook on development of harmony and people first with energy saving and environmental protection as its goal.

Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier)

Cities concentrate a large part of the world economy today. Understanding how the urban economy and its decision making function as well as how they are connected to a larger world (regional, national, global) is fundamental to create governance mechanisms and the institutions to move the world towards a green economy. This paper analyses the city through its key economic processes of the transformation of space; circulation (transport); consumption and production and social, knowledge and ecosystem services. Transforming urban processes will only be achieved with better urban governance. As governance is embedded in institutions, it is the foundation for building the legitimate political and social mechanisms to green socio-ecological and economic systems. Yet the question of whether or not current governance systems in these processes are steering cities towards a greener economy, or if they are, how are they affecting people and ecosystems is yet to be addressed.

Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning (CAEP)

Due to high carbon emission in production and low carbon emission in consumption, China is facing a severe test in economic development and carbon emission control. If the model of western developed countries is followed, it is likely that China will take the old road of high consumption and high emission while enhancing economic growth and living standard substantially. Therefore, a complete and systematic low carbon development pattern is very important to China. The core tenet of low carbon society is to coordinate the conflict between development and carbon emission reduction target. However, it does not emphasize only on the change of economic model but tries to create a completely new form of human society development through overall transformation of social mechanism, institutional design, regional planning and life style.