Within the context of sustainable development, natural resources and ecosystem services provided by the environment are essential to support economic growth social wellbeing, and human health. Inaction on key environmental challenges, such as climate change, could lead to severe economic consequences in the future. It is important that the measures governments are taking now to address the economic crisis are designed so that they support – and at least do not compromise – sustainable long-term, environmentally friendly growth in the future. This discussion paper highlights some of the measures governments are already taking to 'green' their approches to economic recovery, and some of the key issues they may wish to further consider going forward regarding the impact of these approaches on the environment.
As an intellectual contribution to the Rio+20 preparatory process, the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer‐Range Future convened a small task force of experts to discuss the role of institutions in the actualization of a green economy in the context of sustainable development. The report includes papers by experts from academia, government, and civil society on what the world has learned about institutions for sustainable development from the past, and what can be proposed about the governance challenges and opportunities for the continuous development of a green economy in the future. Based on these papers, the report synthesizes six recommendations for the Rio+20 process: think boldly and move incrementally; take economic policy seriously; recognize what is working and what is not working; make implementation the focus; the state remains central but non‐state actors have to be better accommodated; and put equity at the center.
This summary was prepared by the Division for Sustainable Development, UNDESA.
The outcome document for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 includes a chapter on green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. Whilst not a strong chapter, it is significant as it is the first reference to green economy in the outcome document of a major UN summit. The chapter helps to frame the green economy concepts, identifying a range of principles for applying the concept in a way that achieves sustainable development and contributes to poverty eradication. Importantly, the document invites the UN system, in cooperation with relevant donors and international organisations, to coordinate a number of green economy deliverables relating to tools, best practices, methodologies and platforms that can assist with green economy capacity building.
This summary was prepared by the Division for Sustainable Development, UNDESA.
The Netherlands National Committee IHP-HWRP, together with the Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO, has published a new (fourth) publication in their series of water-related UNESCO publications: «Green growth and water allocation». Edited by Sophie Primot, Michael van der Valk and Penelope Keenan, the publication contains contributions from many of the speakers of a 2-day workshop held in November 2012 in Wageningen, the Netherlands.