In one month’s time the Rio+20 international conference on sustainable development will take place with a focus on the ‘green economy’ and environmental governance. Green growth is the pursuit of economic growth and development, while preventing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and unsustainable natural resource use.
The European Commission has launched several initiatives under the Europe 2020 strategy to boost the green economy. A key aspect of this strategy is the Roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe, which sets out a strategic framework for the efficient use of natural resources in Europe. Other initiatives include the OECD’s horizontal strategy for Green Growth, while the UNEP recently introduced its Green Economy Initiative.
What makes the green growth concept attractive to policy-makers and businesses is the idea that taking account of environmental concerns is not just a burden, a constraint on growth, but can be a source of growth and new jobs. A number of EU member states have made greening the economy and creating new opportunities for green business a growth priority with a strong emphasis on sustainable growth, eco-innovation and cleantech industries.… Read the rest
Achieving green growth in EU agriculture
