A green economy can be defined as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. It is characterised by substantially increased investments in economic sectors that build on and enhance the Earth’s natural capital or reduce ecological scarcities and environmental risks. These investments are driven or supported by national policy reforms and the development of international policy and market infrastructure.
Both fiscal policy and public finance can be key drivers of a country’s transition to a greener economy—or a brake on green growth and low carbon job creation. This paper explores the linkage and options available to policy-makers considering ways to drive and accelerate the transition to lowercarbon, more resource-efficient and socially-inclusive economic growth.
The Green Economy Report is compiled by UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative in collaboration with economists and experts worldwide. It demonstrates that the greening of economies is not generally a drag on growth but rather a new engine of growth; that it is a net generator of decent jobs, and that it is also a vital strategy for the elimination of persistent poverty. The report also seeks to motivate policy makers to create the enabling conditions for increased investments in a transition to a green economy.
The report includes chapters on the following areas:
- Agriculture
- Fisheries
- Water
- Forests
- Renewable Energy
- Manufacturing
- Waste
- Buildings
- Transport
- Tourism
- Cities
- Modelling
- Finance
Green jobs in Mauritius stands at around 6.3 per cent of total employment (35,160 jobs out of a total of 558,100). This policy brief provides a summary of the assessment of existing green jobs in Mauritius undertaken in 2010. It concludes with providing a short term projection of a green growth scenario as opposed to a conventional one. The assessment originated from a request by the Government of Mauritius and was conducted by the ILO and a research team in Mauritius in 2011/2012. Its aim is to inform the Ministry of Labour as a contribution to shaping the Maurice Ile Durable (MID) strategy launched in 2008, which intends to make Mauritius a model country of sustainable development.
This report addresses two of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century: achieving environmental sustainability and turning the vision of decent work for all into a reality. It shows that not only are both challenges urgent, but they are also intimately linked and will have to be addressed together. While it is certain that environmental degradation and climate change will increasingly require enterprises and labour markets to react and adjust, the goal of environmentally sustainable economies will not be attained without the active contribution of the world of work.