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Green Economy in Action GREEN ECONOMY IN ACTION: Articles and Excerpts that Illustrate Green Economy and Sustainable Development Efforts August 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Articles and excerpts included in this document were selected by Hussein Abaza based on an extensive literature review. The intention of producing this document is to make available for those interested and involved in Green Economy and sustainable development-related activities a sample of the latest developments and information on the subject. Hussein Abaza is the former Chief of the Economics and Trade Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He joined UNEP in October 1982 and retired in November 2009. During his tenure in UNEP he served in several capacities. These included the Coordinator for the African Minsiterial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), Coordinator of the Committee for International Development Institutions on the Environment (CIDIE), and as the Special Assistant to the UNEP Executive Director. He was part of the team that conceptualized and launched the UNEP Green Economy initiative in October 2008. The United Nations Development Programme would like to thank the following authors and organizations for their contributions to this report: Africa News Joshua S. Hill Agripa Munyai Leslie Hedrick Alex Wilson Matthew Roney Catriona Knapman Moshe Terdiman Ciaran Oliver OECD EcoWatch Paula Melton Emilio Godoy Pietro Bertazzi Eurasia Review R. Paul Herman European Commission Raz Godelink Frances Moore Lappé Richard Matthew Heather Clancy Rob Wheeler Jeff Davis Sangeeta Haindl Jenny De Vaughn Worldwatch Institute John Brian Shannon United Nations John D. Liu Yoshihide Wada If you would like to receive similar real-life examples of green economy in action as well as opinions, concepts and ideas from a diverse group of actors on the topic, you may visit Hussein Abaza’s facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/hussein.m.abaza). Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not represent those of the United Nations or UNDP. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GENERAL ARTICLES & EXERPTS Articles and Excerpts that Illustrate Green Economy and Sustainable Development Efforts ...................................................................... 1 Our Challenge – Developing an Eco-Mind .................................................................................................................................................. 8 The Launch of the Green Economy Initiative in the UAE .......................................................................................................................... 10 Implementing Sustainable Development in an Integrated Manner: From the Local to Global Level ........................................................ 13 The Green Economy is the Right Solution for our Troubled Times ........................................................................................................... 16 Environment: Act Now or Face Costly Consequences, Warns OECD ......................................................................................................... 18 An Education System towards Sustainability ........................................................................................................................................... 20 WATER Groundwater Pumping Leads to Sea Level Rise, Cancels Out Effect of Dams ........................................................................................... 21 Failing Water Infrastructure Drains Economy, Report Warns .................................................................................................................. 22 AGRICULTURE Egypt: A New ‘Roof-Top Revolution’ Emerges ......................................................................................................................................... 23 United Nations Trade Official Encourages Expansion of Organic Farming ................................................................................................ 25 ENERGY China Motivated to Adopt Sustainable Energy Solutions ......................................................................................................................... 26 World Wind Power Climbs to New Record In 2011 .................................................................................................................................. 28 Energy Solutions #165 - Getting Off Fossil Fuels ...................................................................................................................................... 30 Is Shale Gas Good or Bad? Panelists and the Audience at KPMG Summit are Split .................................................................................. 32 China Spending on Social Innovation to Become World First Green Superpower .................................................................................... 34 INDUSTRY The Green Deal is going to Revolutionize Green Industry in the UK ......................................................................................................... 35 BUSINESS What 4 Global Trends Will Drive 21st Century Investing ........................................................................................................................... 36 Are Businesses Missing out on a Sustainability Goldmine? ...................................................................................................................... 38 CONTENTS 2012 State of Green Business Report Indicates Slow Progress ................................................................................................................. 40 Thinking Green at Work: Five Tips for a Sustainable Small Business ........................................................................................................ 41 Sustainability Reporting to Manage the Transition to a Sustainable Global Economy ............................................................................. 43 ECOSYSTEMS Blue Economy Needed to Protect Mediterranean Sea and World’s Oceans ............................................................................................. 45 Functional Ecosystems as the Engine of the Green Economy ................................................................................................................... 46 TECHNOLOGY European Union: Eco-innovation to Help Meet Future Resource Demand ............................................................................................... 48 World Solar PV Market Grew Considerably in 2011 ................................................................................................................................. 50 The Green Economy, Boon or Menace? ................................................................................................................................................... 51 WASTE MANAGEMENT Do You Recycle? The Go Green Guy – 19 Items you May Not Know that you can Recycle! ...................................................................... 53 Public Shows Overwhelming Support for Plastic Bag Ban in Europe ........................................................................................................ 56 10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green ..................................................................................................................................................... 57 4 GREEN ECONOMY: A TOOL FOR TRANSITIONING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION by Hussein Abaza The concept of Green Economy is not entirely a new concept. It was first mooted by the London Environmental Economics Centre1 (LEEC) in a publication (Blueprint for a Sustainable Economy) in 1989 authored by David Pearce, Anil Markandya, and Ed Barbier. However, at that time the concept did not receive wide acceptance. With the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007 and the failure of most countries to move onto a sustainable development path, it has become evidently clear that the current development paradigm is not yielding the desired outcomes on all fronts economic, social, and environmental. Efforts to transition to a sustainable development path and realize the objectives of Agenda 21 have been very modest. A number of reasons appear to have constrained this transition to take place. One of the reasons for lack of significant progress has been inability to clearly make the business case for investing in the environment. In order to encourage policy and decision makers to invest in the environment, they need to be convinced that such a transition would result in economic benefits as well. These benefits include additional jobs generated, increased output, creation of new market niches and increased trade, and a positive impact on GDP. It is therefore essential to demonstrate that there is a clear relationship between investing in the environment, socioeconomic and sustainable development. Since human welfare should be the ultimate goal for any development strategy, a well-designed sustainable development strategy should result in poverty eradication. Green Economy could be viewed as an approach that emphasizes these linkages. It could therefore be considered as a tool or vehicle that facilitates the transition to sustainable development. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines the Green Economy as “one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities” (2010). Another more elaborate definition of green economy is: "The Green Economy
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