The Green Economy Initiative
ESDN Conference Prague 18 June 2009 Christophe Bouvier
Multiple crises
Multiple Crises
- Food price crisis -1 billion people worldwide at risk of hunger and malnutrition -and growing - Energy/fuel crisis - price/ security issues - Financial crisis - threatening jobs worldwide & poverty reduction gains - Climate crisis exacerbating the others
The Crisis and Employment
200 million jobs lost between 2007 and 2009
The Crisis and Development
Decrease of trade and investment
exports are shrinking.
ODA contraction:
Slow growth: Every 1 per cent fall in growth in developing countries will translate into an additional 20 million people consigned to poverty (WB).
Reduced provision of basic needs, health care and education
Continued Environmental Neglect
1981 2005: global GDP more than doubled, but 60% of worlds ecosystems degraded/exploited unsustainably Global economic growth in past 50 years accompanied by decline of natural capital and of ecosystems ability to sustain services Huge regional imbalances
Status Quo undermines natural capital - risks human survival ....
GHG Emissions at 42 GtCO2e per annum are 5 times what Earth can absorb
UNEP ETB
Making the Economic Case: The Green Economy Report
The Green Economy Report
The objective of the Green Economy Report is to make and communicate a strong and convincing economic case for greening economies and creating decent green jobs by investing in a new generation of assets (social, natural, human, and financial).
The Green Economy Report, Overview
The GER is an in-depth macroeconomic analysis of the economic, social, employment and environmental gains that could result from increased investment in green sectors. Target: Decision makers, government officials, business executives, employers, workers,
consumers, researchers and the public in general.
Green Economy Report . and its offshoots
Enabling Conditions
- Finance - Subsidies - Markets -
GGND : A Policy Brief
Regional /ETB UNEP Regional / Country Country Reports Reports
01.07.2009
Role of regions and local authorities: Sustainable Cities
Cities are polluted, crowded and complex to manage. Delivering the smart city: The GER will a guidance plan for mayors to improve sustainability and growth in cities.
Forests
Sustainable forest management can: create massive employment, provide for livelihoods, maintain land and services make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, highly efficient/cost effective carbon capture
The Green Economy Initiative: A Family of Initiatives
Objectives
To achieve significant progress in addressing global environmental priorities by: massive green investments worldwide workable solutions to remove financial, policy, institutional, market and other constraints on making such investments
The Green Economy : A Family of Initiatives
Green Economy Report
Demonstrating that Greening is a new engine for growth, sizing sectoral opportunities, addressing hurdles & enabling conditions
metrics growth
TEEB
Green Jobs
Demonstrating the value of Sizing and ecosystems & biodiversity, incentivizing growth in capturing these values, and green & decent jobs reversing the vicious cycle Incentives to educate & train of environmental losses and the poor to benefit from Decent jobs from Communitypersistent poverty
based Conservation, PES/ IPES implementation, tomorrows Green Economy
reversing the Vicious Cycle of environmental losses and persistent poverty
Poverty and Environment
under a Wide Global Network
UNIDO UNDP
Green Economy Report
UNEP
Poverty and Environment
Demonstrating that Greening is a new engine for growth, sizing sectoral opportunities, addressing hurdles & enabling conditions
ILO ITC Regional Commissions
TEEB
Demonstrating the value of ecosystems & biodiversity, capturing these values, and reversing the vicious cycle of environmental losses and persistent poverty
Green Jobs
Sizing and incentivizing growth in green & decent jobs
CBD
Business & Civil Society Groups
Universities
Regional Forums
17
Countries
Other Multilateral Institutions
UNEP ETB
01.07.2009
Green Jobs
Where capital flows today, jobs follow tomorrow What are the key sectors at risk ? What are the key sectors of opportunity ? How does greening impact employment ? Green Jobs Report, September 2008
Green Jobs
In September 2008, UNEPILO launched a report showing: Investments to reduce climate change and its effects are generating new jobs Next phase: country studies
Green Jobs
The Report found that: Globally, > 2.3 million workers employed in renewables; by 2030, could be 20 million jobs Greening buildings in EU & US would create 2 million jobs In China, 10 million jobs in the recycling sector (out of 12)
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)
To motivate actions to significantly reduce biodiversity loss Results to feed into Green Economy Reports
TEEB Interim Report Key Messages
Economic Size & Welfare Impact of Losses is huge Strong link with Poverty & risk of MDGs failure
TEEB Interim Report From Economics to Policies
Rethink todays subsidies to meet tomorrows priorities Reward unrecognized benefits, penalize uncaptured costs Share the benefits of conservation
TEEB II Deliverables
1. A global valuation study providing conceptual background for guidance documents; 2. A guidance report for international and national policymakers; 3. A guidance report for regional and local administrators; 4. A guidance report for business and industry; 5. A guidance report for consumers.
Opportunity amid crisis
Rethinking the Economic Recovery: A Global Green New Deal
Can more liquidity and even more credit solve a credit crisis ?
Can more production solve an energy and resources crisis ?
Can the global economic system manage to recover with just a re-boot ? Can Capitalism survive the next 200 years without a sharp focus on Natural Capital ?
Global Green New Deal Rationale
Fiscal stimulus agreed as the way forward, but the recovery needs to/can be sustainable The thinking that created the problem cannot actually solve the problem: Green Investment beats a Shopping Spree Win-Win-Win solutions exist : Decent Jobs, Lower Risks, Higher Returns A crisis is a terrible thing to waste : Seeding the Green Economy
The UNEP Global Green New Deal
Launched in 2008 by the UNEP, the GGND was a key document of the 2009 G20 meeting in London. Jump-starting the transition to a green economy International components : Urgent reforms to international architecture.
Opportunity as Governments Jump Start Economies: Green stimulus packages
Country Stimulus USbn 26.7 586.1 485.9 38.1 33.7 104.8 30.4 787 185 31.8 Stimulus as % of DP/GNI 2.49 13.88 10.03 4.44 1.12 2.74 1.09 5.27 1.29 2.03 Green fund bn 2.5 221.3 12.4 30.7 7.1 13.8 2.1 94.1 18.2 2.6 % of green stimulus 9% 38% 3% 81% 21% 13% 7% 12% 10% 8% Green Stimulus as % of GDP 0.2 5.2 0.3 3.6 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.2
Australia China Japan Korea, Rep France Germany UK US ARRA US EESA Canada
source: HSCB 2009, CIA factbook
Investing in Green Sectors
Renewable energy Industry: material & energy efficiency Low carbon cities Green buildings Transport Agriculture Waste management Forests Water
Engaging Global Policy Processes - Fostering Global Consensus
Engaging Global Policy Processes
Green economy contribution at strategic policy junctures: G 20 meetings Sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development G8 Summits World Climate Conference 3 in Geneva (August-September 2009) Global Renewable Energy Forum in Mexico (October 2009) UNEP Finance Initiative 2009 Global Roundtable in Cape Town (October 2009) UNFCCC COP 15 and Kyoto Protocol MOP 5 in Copenhagen (December 2009) International Association for Impact Assessment 2010 meeting in Geneva (April 2010) among other targeted events. Etc
Fostering a Global Consensus on Green Economy
Engaging governments on a global policy report on Green Economy, modelled on the IPCC Synthesis Report Objective of adoption of the policy document at the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in 2011
Supporting regional initiatives
Regional Initiatives on Green Economy
Regional initiative for East Asia Low Carbon Green Growth
Regional initiative on Green Economy in West Asia, in collaboration with UNEP ROWA
Regional Imitative on Green Economy in Africa, in collaboration with UNEP ROWA Regional Initiative on Green Economy/Green Job in Europe?
Country Initiatives on Green Economy
Korea: UNEP is organizing an independent review of Korea Green Growth National Vision initiated in 2008. China: UNEP has received a proposal from the Government to support policy research that would feed into Chinas national five-year plan. Uruguay: The Government has requested UNEP support in undertaking a green economy initiative. Initiatives in the pan-European region?
More Information
UNEP Green Economy Website http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/
