One main theme in the Rio+20 Conference was how to facilitate the growth of green industries. How can politicians more specifically promote renewable green industries such as wind turbines or solar energy? How can we get prices right in the market? Prices can be adjusted by the use of economic instruments such as taxes and subsidies. In this way, renewable energy sources and green industries become more competitive, thus enhancing the transition from brown to green economy. Not only can these economic incentives accelerate the so-called switch point in time from fossil fuel–based energy sources to those not based on fossil fuel, they also encourage innovation. An illustrative example of this logic in practice is the case of Danish wind energy production.
Green growth involves transforming production and consumption processes in order to maintain or restore the regulatory functions of the planet's natural capital. It requires that environmental factors be treated as an essential factor of production and not merely an externality. In practice, this transition depends on advances being made in four areas: widening the concept of efficiency; energy transitions; inclusion of the value of natural capital in economic life; and a revision of the scale of risks within the financial system whose innovations for allocating resources at low cost to green growth would be greatly facilitated by effective pricing of environmental pollution.
This report examines the diverse realities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through an integrated approach. While SIDS have bountiful supplies of renewable resources and unique cultural assets, they often face daunting challenges resulting from isolation and remoteness coupled with climate change, natural disasters, and out-migration. Furthermore, global financial shocks and increasing fuel and food prices are threatening core economic sectors such as tourism.
Built on combinations of realistic outlooks, this report develops an ensemble of four island-centric futures: the blue-green economy; technology leapfrogging; priority to island community and culture; and reconnecting with nature, to help individual states consider policy choices that best respond to their needs. This report shows that there is much that SIDS can do proactively to anticipate environmental problems and their economic consequences or even avoid them through innovative planning and action.
This report on the Korean Strategy for Green Growth and its implementation in urban areas assesses the contributions of sub-national governments to Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth and identifies the main challenges for effective implementation at the local level.
Korea's economy, heavily reliant on foreign exports, was hard hit by the recent global financial crisis. Since the 1970s, Korea has become one of the most energy-intensive economies in the OECD area, thanks to higher living standards, rapid urbanisation and an expanding industrial sector. As a result, the country's greenhouse gas emissions almost doubled between 1990 and 2005, registering the highest growth rate in the OECD area. It is in this context of rapid urbanisation and unprecedented resource consumption and environmental pressures that the report focuses on the role of urban areas within Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth. The effectiveness of Korea's green growth agenda, which has been driven by a central government vision and strategy, will largely hinge on the contribution of urban areas toward more sustainable, greener growth.
This issue of the International Journal of Labour Research focuses on the question of whether the jobs that are emerging in the efforts to reach sustainable development can be described as “decent”. A series of case studies is presented which demonstrates that this seems to be far from the case. While these results remain very partial, this should be seen as an important reminder that “green” employment is not decent by definition and that like in any other sector, green jobs require careful stewardship from public authorities to ensure that workers are able to exercise their rights. This is all the more the case given the central role government policy plays in creating the enabling conditions for these industries to emerge and thrive.
This journal issue includes case studies on Korea, China and South Africa.