Browse Research

The report Managing the Water-Energy-Land-Food Nexus in Korea: Policies and governance options assesses the key bottlenecks within the water-energy-land-food nexus in Korea and proposes policy recommendations and governance arrangements to future-proof environmental integrity and enhance sustainable growth.

The Eastern Caribbean Green Economy Barometer 2018 provides a snapshot of the transition to an inclusive green economy. This report focuses on the varied greening experiences of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) members, the conception of GE that is beginning to emerge there, and the successes and failures of OECS members to implement GE-informed policies.

Across Canada, fact and opinion swirl about which policies are best for both the economy and the environment. Environmental regulations remain deeply contested and cause concern for some that the costs will simply be too high. At the same time, polling data show that Canadians overwhelmingly want both a protected environment and a vibrant economy. In this context, the Smart Prosperity Institute has re-releasing an updated version of a 2016 policy brief on overestimating the cost of compliance with environmental regulations, part of the Green Tape Measures Up series.

Bangladesh has made important progress in a number of areas relating to environmental management but this has not matched the progress with the growth and poverty reduction agenda. Importantly Bangladesh is yet to adopt formally a “green growth strategy” that fully reconciles the development agenda with the protection of the environment. In the absence of the green growth strategy and associated regulations, policies and institutions, the costs of environmental degradation have grown over time. Additionally, the adverse effects of climate change are mounting and creating substantial downside risks and vulnerabilities. Against the backdrop of this, the government’s preparation of Vision 2041 under which Bangladesh is envisaged to reach World Bank-defined high income threshold by FY2041 and eliminate absolute poverty provides an important opportunity to take a fresh look at the environmental degradation and climate change risks.

Bangladesh has made tremendous progress with development since independence reflected in rising income, sharp reduction in poverty and improvements with human development. Evidence, however, suggests that along with these positive outcomes there has been a substantial deterioration in the natural environment. Fortunately, there is now a growing recognition of the environmental damage of continuing with the business-as-usual development strategy and the risks it poses to the sustainability of development. In response, the government has adopted a large array of strategies, laws, rules and regulations, and adaptation and mitigation programmes and projects. But the results on the ground suggest that the implementation of these policies has been weak. Inadequate strategic thinking along with financial and institutional constraints has limited the implementation effectiveness of the government’s environmental protection strategy.