Based on more than 40 interviews with energy sector CEOs and senior executives, as well as the 2012 Energy Sustainability Index, this 4th edition of the World Energy Trilemma report attempts to identify and describe what industry executives believe they need from policymakers. The report acknowledges that executives and policymakers urgently need to work together in order to achieve a transition to a sustainable energy system. Key to this report are the three dimensions of energy sustainability: energy security, social equity and environmental impact mitigation. These three core dimensions form a complex web of links between private and public actors, regulators, resources, economic and social forces, and environmental concerns that must be fully understood by all.
This report analyzes the experiences of countries that have undertaken reform of their fossil-fuel subsidies and establishes what lessons can be learned. It focuses in particular on France, Ghana and Senegal, as well as drawing from case studies of other countries and previous work that examines the reform of energy subsidies and price subsidies.
The study finds that, once in place, fossil-fuel subsidies are extremely difficult to remove. There is no single formula for success, and country circumstances and changing global conditions must be taken into account. However, strategies can be identified that contribute to successful reform and respond to individual country circumstances. This paper focuses on six important strategies that appear to improve the chances of lasting change:
The report shows evidence of the potential benefits of adopting sustainability as a business strategy. It also shows a dramatic shift in banks' awareness of these benefits. The report argues that banks can tap vast benefits by reassessing their business practices and engaging in sustainability-oriented risk management and product development. The report provides practical examples of 14 financial institutions in 12 countries that have taken concrete steps to integrate social and environmental sustainability into their policies, practices, products, and services.
Key findings from the report include:
This publication focuses on the review of policy and financing options to catalyse finance toward green, low-emission and climate-resilient development. It is part of a series of manuals, guidebooks and toolkits that draws upon the experience and information generated by the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) support for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in some 140 countries over the past decade. In a flexible and non-prescriptive manner, the reports offer detailed step-by-step guidance for the identification of key stakeholders and establishment of participatory planning and coordination frameworks; generation of climate change profiles and vulnerability scenarios; identification and prioritisation of mitigation and adaptation options; assessment of financing requirements; and development of low emission climate-resilient roadmaps for project development, policy instruments and financial flows.
This summary was prepared by Eldis.
The greening of economic growth series ESCAP, its partners and Asia-Pacific countries have advocated "green growth" as a strategy to achieve sustainable development in the resource-constrained, high-poverty context of the Asian and the Pacific region. The conventional "grow now, clean up later" approaches to economic growth are increasingly placing the futures of regional economies and societies at risk. The forward-thinking policymaker is tasked to promote development based on eco-efficient economic growth and at the same time, record more inclusive gains in human welfare and socio-economic progress. In order to assist policymakers in responding to such challenges, ESCAP’s activity on green growth has been developed to focus on five paths: sustainable infrastructure development; investment in natural capital; green tax and budget reform; sustainable consumption and production; and the greening of business and markets. The ESCAP “Greening of economic growth” series provides policymakers with quick access to clear, easy-to-read guidance to specific "green growth" policy tools and actions.