Enhancing energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy constitute essential components of global policies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. UNIDO recognises sustainable energy as both a precondition and catalyst for economic and social development. This has been a priority in UNIDO’s work for many years. UNIDO’s ultimate aim is to strengthen opportunities for reliable, efficient and affordable energy services, both to urban and rural populations. The organisation takes a holistic approach to energy issues by addressing both supply and demand sides, and by advocating policies aimed at implementing green energy strategies.
This new report reveals, for the first time, data on resource use and resource efficiency for all countries of the world over three decades, from 1980 – 2008. The data covers the global, continental and country level, featuring illustrative case studies. The report evaluates the performances of different countries, highlighting the critical issues of current trends in resource use.
The report addresses three main issues:
1. Patterns of material extraction, trade, consumption and resource productivity in different world regions and countries;
2. Connections between material use and indicators of economic and social development;
3. Links between material use and selected major environmental problems, such as carbon emissions, land use change and water use.
This document shows that increased industrial energy efficiency is one of the most promising routes to sustainable industrial development worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Industry remains among the most energy-intensive sectors: its contribution to global GDP is lower than its global share of energy consumption. Industrial processes have an estimated technical efficiency potential of 25–30 per cent. That means that adopting best available technologies and related business and engineering practices could eventually enable industry to lower emissions of greenhouse gases and combat climate change and also reduce other pollutants. The energy savings could be redirected to meeting social needs for access to energy, particularly acute in developing countries, and could help companies everywhere to improve their bottom line.
This report identifies the broad range of policy measures required by national or federal governments to promote and facilitate the greening of industries. It has been prepared as part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Green Industry initiative, which focuses on ways that developing countries can green their industries and accelerate growth in their environmental goods and services sector. One of the key objectives of the initiative is assessing the effectiveness of governments in developing countries in supporting the greening of their industries through national strategies, policies and integrated governance structures.
This overview, followed by five supporting reports, identifies these challenges of tomorrow, points to key choices ahead, and recommends not just what needs to be reformed, but how to undertake the reforms. The overview is divided into nine chapters. The first chapter examines the characteristics of Chinas development since 1978; considers future opportunities, challenges, and risks; and describes a vision of China in the year 2030. The second chapter maps a new strategy that will realise this vision, focusing on the key choices ahead for China to sustain rapid economic and social development and become a modern, harmonious, and creative high-income society before 2030. Chapters three to eight elaborate on each of the six pillars of the new strategy: consolidating Chinas market foundations; enhancing innovation; promoting green development; ensuring equality of opportunity and social protection for all; strengthening public finances; and achieving mutually beneficial win-win relations between China and the rest of the world.