This guide aims to encourage early dialogue and diagnosis in and by developing countries on what a green economy would mean for their country. Green economy and green growth are hot topics. Definitions, evidence, debates and increasingly, policies, have tended to be dominated by powerful countries and international groups. Several intergovernmental organisations are making it a priority and are announcing policies and programmes; but they each have different approaches. This proliferating work on the international scene provides rich material which can be highly influential in developing countries. However, there are risks of considerable bias if the concepts are not first explored by stakeholders in-country. As the 2012 Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development concluded, green economies should take very different forms according to a country’s diverse capital endowments and needs. As such, green economic policy and investments need to be tailored at both national and local levels.
The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP) has conducted the following national research study to seek the perspectives of diverse Canadian stakeholders on what a Green Economy could mean for Canada in the lead-up to Rio+20. The study covers potential gains for Canada, success stories and best practices, lessons learnt, challenges and opportunities, as well as the role for the Canadian government and other stakeholders in advancing a green economy.
Trade has the potential to drive a green economy by fostering the exchange of environmentally friendly goods and services, increasing resource efficiency, generating economic opportunities and employment, and contributing to poverty eradication. If managed poorly, however, unrestrained trade can contribute to environmental degradation, unsustainable resource use, and increased wealth disparities, all of which hinder a green economy transition and sustainable development objectives.
This is the third edition of Dual Citizen’s annual Global Green Economy Index (GGEI), an analytic tool designed to help governments, international organizations and investors improve their “green” branding and communications strategies. This report provides an overview of the 2012 analysis of the GGEI. The GGEI measures perceptions of green reputations of 27 selected countries as judged by hundreds of expert practitioners and benchmarks these against a green economy performance index. These 27 countries represent over 90 per cent of the international green economy.
