Issue: Developing and implementing policies that promote green growth in the energy sector
Forum: Special Conference on Climate Change
Student Officer: ZofiaRadomska
Position: Deputy President
Introduction
Growing fears due to the lack of ecological balance in the previous model of economic development and increased awareness of a potential climate crisis make us aware of the fact that the environment and the economy can no longer be perceived as two separate issues. Financial and economic crisis allowed us to create possibilities to introduce the policy of promoting rejuvenating growth in much more ecological and socially sustainable way. Consequently, green growth gets endorsement .
Key terms
Green growth- is a term to describe a path of economic growth that uses natural resources in a sustainable manner. It is used globally to provide an alternative concept to typical industrial economic growth.
Green economy- is an economy that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. It can be seen as a means to achieve a resilient economy that provides a better quality of life for all within the ecological limits of the planet. It can be also seen as a means to link the economic, environmental and social considerations of sustainable development in such a manner that long-term economic development is achieved by investing in environmentally friendly and socially equitable solutions.
Green taxes- a tax paid by consumers for products or services that are not environmentally friendly. The intended purpose of the green tax is to offset the negative impact resulting from the use of non-green products and services.
General overview
Advantages:
Green growth is not a replacement for sustainable development. It rather provides a practical and flexible approach for achieving concrete, measurable progress across its economic and environmental pillars, while taking full account of the social consequences of greening the growth dynamic of economies. The focus of green growth strategies is to ensure that natural assets can deliver their full economic potential on a sustainable basis. That potential includes the provision of critical life support services – clean air and water, and the resilient biodiversity needed to support food production and human health. Natural assets are not infinitely substitutable and green growth policies take account of that.
Green growth gets endorsement as a way of realization of growth and economic development with simultaneous prevention of: environmental degradation, biodiversity depletion and the use of natural resources that destroy ecological balance .
The strategy of green growth:
Green growth has got a universal application, nevertheless its policy and approach have to be adapted to each country individually. For most of the developing countries the priorities are still: combating poverty, providing basic education, ensuring food security and providing essential services such as water supply and sewage disposal. Those strategies create a framework for the green growth policy which contribute to a greater economic integration, technological co-operation and the decrease in using natural resources. It will show that green growth policy will not be a source of growing “green protectionism”. Green growth strategy will require a combination of multiple instruments such as MBI (market-based instruments), regulations and donations supporting research.
Green taxes:
OECD analysis shows that if all the industrialized countries reduce their emission by 20% by 2020 , then taxation in 2020 could rise even by 2,5% of their GDP. The revenue from carbon taxes or sales permits through an auction can balance more adverse tax forms and generate profits for the country.
Barriers to transformation:
- grants for harmful activities for the environment
- barriers in eco-commerce and trade in goods
- donation to fossil fuels
Major parties involved
Organizations:
UNESCAP: the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
OECD: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
UNEP: the United Nations Environment Programme
World Bank
ICC: International Chamber of Commerce
Countries:
USA - President Barack Obama has taken several steps towards green growth
South Korea - green growth as a national strategy model
Timeline of events
2008 - the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) led the Green Economy Initiative
2010 - ICC launched the unique global business Task Force on Green Economy resulting in the Green Economy Roadmap, a guide for business, policymakers and society published in 2012.
2011 - the OECD published a strategy towards green growth
2012 - the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific released the Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific to explore the opportunities that a low carbon green growth path offers to the region. The roadmap articulates five tracks on the basis of which the economic system change necessary to pursue low carbon green growth as a new economic development path should be led.
2012 - the World Bank published its report "Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development"
2012 - the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and World Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formally launch the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP).
2012 - Rio +20; The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; The result of the conference was the nonbinding document - "The Future We Want". Pursuant to this document, the heads of state of the 192 governments in attendance renewed their political commitment to sustainable development and declared their commitment to the promotion of a sustainable future. The document largely reaffirms previous action plans like Agenda 21.
Sources