This working paper summarises output from Project Catalyst, an initiative of the ClimateWorks Foundation, aimed at providing analytical support for the UNFCCC negotiations on a post-Kyoto international climate agreement. It seeks to show how to spread best practice around the world effectively by learning from and building upon the experiences of first-generation low carbon growth plans (LCGPs). Key to each country’s LCGP is the balance between maximising mitigation and adaptation efforts whilst maintaining economic growth necessary to ensure that decades of developmental gains are not rolled back. A data-driven and country-specific LCGP is essential to guaranteeing success in finding this balance. The paper covers how the plans are developed and analysed, citing numerous examples of LCGPs from countries such as Mexico and South Africa.
The paper identifies some commonly shared factors determinant to success:
The report highlights occupational safety and health (OSH) as an integral part of the promotion of green jobs and a greener economy to achieve an economic and social development that is also environmentally sustainable. The report looks at different “green industries” from an OSH perspective, and shows that while green jobs improve the environment, revitalize the economy and create new employment opportunities, they may also present a number of known and unknown risks for workers. The greening of traditional sectors which will continue to provide the bulk of all employment and harbour most occupational safety and health risks can provide a major opportunity to make them safer and healthier, as well as energy efficient and environmentally sustainable, provided the right measures are taken.
This pollution management (PoMa) sourcebook has two major goals. First, it is intended to provide users with current information on available policy tools for pollution management. It is intended as a living document that will be improved over time through periodic review and be updated based on the lessons learned from its application. Second, the sourcebook puts forward the advantages of approaching pollution management through multiple stakeholders (each applying their own policy tools in parallel). Such collaboration can achieve positive outcomes more quickly and ensure a balance between, on the one hand, improved growth and competitiveness objectives, and, on the other hand, pollution management objectives that help to maximize public welfare. In other words, such a collaborative, balanced approach can achieve green and sustainable growth.
This annual report presents an optimistic view of the carbon market, which grew by 11 per cent in 2011. The report shows that despite the financial crisis and the related oversupply of carbon credits within the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) as a result of economic downturn, plummeting carbon prices and uncertainty about the post 2020 framework, financially motivated transactions continued to grow within the carbon market. However, it underscores that prices fell during 2011. The report indicates that although China remained the largest source of contracted certified emissions reductions (CERs), African countries emerged stronger in 2011 and accounted for 21 per cent of post-2012 CERs contracted during the year. This summary was prepared by Eldis.