Fostering sustainable industries and industrial development requires the use of effective indicators. Though a multitude of indicators exist, their applicability to sustainable industries remains largely unaddressed to date. In the RISI project, Ecologic Institute reviewed the available scientific knowledge in order to evaluate existing indicators and propose recommendations concerning their usability and the potential need for further indicator development. Ecologic Institute has now published a shorter version of the project results as a Ecologic Brief with forewords by Heinz Leuenberger, Director of UNIDO’s Environmental Management Branch (EMB), and R. Andreas Kraemer, Director of Ecologic Institute.
The Ecologic Brief is tailored specifically to the information needs of political decision-makers and experts in industrial resource efficiency.
This paper focuses primarily on the opportunities that global trade can bring in the transition to the green economy and how the Rio+20 Conference can catalyse the transition by generating new investment, income sources and jobs among countries of varied levels of development. It elaborates by explaining that trade plays an essential role in the diffusion of green goods, services, technologies and production among countries and that this enhances economic growth and contributes to environmental and social developmental objectives.
The report stresses that growth resulting from international trade of green goods and services should be inclusive, building the human and productive capacities of developing countries and stimulating economic diversification, employment for the poor and increased access to basic services such as energy, water, housing, education, communications and transport.
The paper concludes by presenting key issues and considerations that need to be taken into account in the Rio+20 Conference deliberations and how UNCTAD can support countries in their transition to a green economy.
This report contains the first publication of data and indicators that can serve as a basis to analyse and address important policy issues such as resource scarcity and resource security and the design of resource-efficient (industrial) development policies. As the applied methods are consistent with, and fulfil international standards of material flow accounting, the results presented allow comparisons between countries and provide the basis for developing policy targets of all Asian countries.
This pilot study presents comparative data for the following 19 Asian countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rep. of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. These countries together represent more than 20% of world GDP and more than 90% of GDP in Asia (excluding Russia and other former countries of the Soviet Union).
Sustainable energy is central to a green economy. This policy brief provides the framework for the discussion on energy for sustainable development. This document describes how access to modern energy services is described as a pre-requisite for economic and social development; explains how the reduction of global energy intensity and the expanded use of renewable energy are ways to the meet the growing energy demand, while mitigating carbon emissions and limiting the damage to the environment; and finally, argues the need for a renewed global effort to make energy a pillar of a Green Economy.
