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Towards green growthA summary for policy makersMay 2011
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:51 Page 27
In June 2009, Ministers from 34 countries signeda Green Growth Declaration, declaring that theywill: “Strengthen their efforts to pursue greengrowth strategies as part of their responses tothe crisis and beyond, acknowledging that greenand growth can go hand-in-hand.” Theyendorsed a mandate for the OECD to develop aGreen Growth Strategy, bringing togethereconomic, environmental, social, technological,and development aspects into a comprehensiveframework.
The Strategy responds to that mandate. It formspart of the OECD contributions to the Rio+20Conference in June 2012.Declaration on Green Growth, adopted at the OECD Meeting of the Council
at Ministerial Level on 25 June 2009
This brochure was prepared for the OECD Meeting of the
Council at Ministerial Level, 25-26 May 2011, Paris
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:46 Page ii
This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of
the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do
not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the
governments of its member countries.
© OECD 2011
OECD freely authorises the use of this material for non-commercial
purposes. All requests for commercial uses of this material or for
translation rights should be submitted to rights@oecd.org.
A message from the OECD Secretary-General 3
What is green growth and why do we need it? 4
Sources of green growth 5
Green growth in action 6
A framework for green growth strategies 7
What are the essentials of green growth strategies? 8
Green growth initiatives 12
How will green growth affect employment? 15
Addressing distributional concerns 17
International co-operation for green growth 18
Monitoring progress towards green growth 20
Constructing green growth strategies 22
Next steps of the OECD Green Growth Strategy 23
Key OECD publications 24
Contents
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2 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH
New Songdo City (Korea): Located on aman-made island 40 miles from Seoul, the1,500-acre city is intended to emit only one-third the greenhouse gases of a similar sizecity and become the commercial hub ofNortheast Asia.www.songdo.com
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The OECD Green Growth Strategy: A lens for examining growth
The world economy is slowly, and unevenly, coming out of the worst crisis most of us have everknown. While dealing with immediate problems such as high unemployment, inflationarypressures or fiscal deficits, we have to look to the future and devise new ways of ensuring thatthe growth and progress we have come to take for granted are assured in the years to come.
A return to “business as usual” would indeed be unwise and ultimately unsustainable,involving risks that could impose human costs and constraints on economic growth anddevelopment. It could result in increased water scarcity, resource bottlenecks, air and waterpollution, climate change and biodiversity loss which would be irreversible.
Strategies to achieve greener growth are needed. If we want to make sure that the progress in living standards wehave seen these past fifty years does not grind to a halt, we have to find new ways of producing and consumingthings, and even redefine what we mean by progress and how we measure it. We have to make sure to take ourcitizens with us on this journey, in particular to prepare the people with the right skills to reap the employmentbenefits from the structural change.
But we cannot just start from scratch. Changing current patterns of growth, consumer habits, technology, andinfrastructure is a long-term project, and we will have to live with the consequences of past decisions for a longtime. This “path dependency” is likely to intensify systemic environmental risks even if we were to get policy settingsright relatively swiftly.
The modern economy was created thanks to innovation and thrives on it, and in turn the economy encourages newways of doing things and the invention of new products. That will continue to be the case. Non-technologicalchanges and innovation such as new business models, work patterns, city planning or transportation arrangementswill also be instrumental in driving green growth. No government has all the technological, scientific, financial andother resources needed to implement green growth alone. The challenges are global, and recently we have seenencouraging international efforts to tackle environmental issues collectively, including the path-breaking Cancunagreements to address climate change.
At the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in June 2009, Ministers acknowledged that green and growth can gohand-in-hand, and asked the OECD to develop a Green Growth Strategy. Since then, we have been working witha wide range of partners from across government and civil society to provide a framework for how countries canachieve economic growth and development while at the same time combating climate change and preventingcostly environmental degradation and the inefficient use of natural resources.
The publications, Towards Green Growth and Towards Green Growth – Monitoring Progress: OECD Indicatorssummarise the work done so far. As a lens through which to examine growth, the analysis they present is animportant first step to designing green growth strategies. At the same time, they provide an actionable policyframework for policy makers in advanced, emerging and developing economies.
The OECD will continue to support global efforts to promote green growth, especially in view of the Rio+20Conference. The next steps will see green growth reflected in OECD country reviews and the output of future OECDwork on indicators, toolkits and sectoral studies, to support countries’ implementation efforts towards green growth.
We have set ourselves ambitious targets, but I am confident that by working together we will reach them.
Angel GurríaOECD Secretary-General
A message from the OECD Secretary-General
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 3
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0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
OECD 2005
No Low Medium Severe
OECD 2030
BRIC 2005
BRIC 2030
RoW 2005
RoW 2030
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Pacific
Europe
North America
Asia
Brazil
Russia
China
South Asia
Rest of World
World
1
20002030
Remaining diversity Loss to nitrogen Loss to infrastructure
Loss to fragmentation and forestsLoss to climateLoss to agriculture
0 20 40 60 80 100
20
00
2030
World threats to biodiversity (percent)
People living under severe water stress (millions)
Premature deaths from PM10 air pollution (per million inhab.)
Source: OECD (2008), OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 and OECD (2009), The Economics of Climate
Change Mitigation: Policies and Options for Global Actions beyond 2012.
1. Including India.
What is green growth and why do we need it?
Key environmental challenges
4 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
33% of the world’spopulation could beaffected by waterscarcity by 2025
10%, the amount ofbiodiversity lost by 2030without action to stemthe tide
Green growth means fostering economicgrowth and development, while ensuringthat natural assets continue to provide theresources and environmental services onwhich our well-being relies. To do this, itmust catalyse investment and innovationwhich will underpin sustained growth andgive rise to new economic opportunities.
We need green growth because risks todevelopment are rising as growth continues toerode natural capital. If left unchecked, thiswould mean increased water scarcity,worsening resource bottlenecks, greaterpollution, climate change, and unrecoverablebiodiversity loss.
These tensions may undermine future growthprospects for at least two reasons:
� It is becoming increasingly costly tosubstitute physical capital for natural capital.For instance, if water becomes scarcer ormore polluted, you need more infrastructureto transport and purify it.
� Change does not necessarily follow asmooth, foreseeable trajectory. For example,some fish stocks suddenly collapsed afterdeclining only slowly for years.
If we want to ensure that the progress made inliving standards in these past fifty years doesnot grind to a halt, we have to find new waysof producing and consuming things, and evenredefine what we mean by progress and howwe measure it.
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Sources of green growth
Green growth can open up new sources ofgrowth through:
� Productivity. Incentives for greaterefficiency in the use of resources and naturalassets, including enhancing productivity,reducing waste and energy consumption,and making resources available to theirhighest value use.
� Innovation. Opportunities for innovation,spurred by policies and frameworkconditions that allow for new ways ofcreating value and addressing environmentalproblems.
� New markets. Creation of new markets bystimulating demand for green technologies,goods, and services; creating new jobopportunities.
� Confidence. Boosting investor confidencethrough greater predictability and continuityaround how governments deal with majorenvironmental issues.
� Stability. More balanced macroeconomicconditions, reduced resource price volatilityand supporting fiscal consolidation through,for instance, reviewing the composition andefficiency of public spending, and increasingrevenues through putting a price on pollution.
Green growth will also reduce the risks togrowth from:
� Bottlenecks that arise when resourcescarcity or reduced quality makes investmentmore costly, such as the need for capital-intensive infrastructure when water suppliesbecome scarce or water quality decreases. Inthis regard, the loss of natural capital canexceed the gains generated by economicactivity, undermining the ability to sustainfuture growth.
� Imbalances in natural systems that raise therisk of abrupt, highly damaging – andpotentially irreversible – effects. Attempts toidentify potential thresholds suggest thatsome – climate change, global nitrogencycles and biodiversity loss – have alreadybeen exceeded.
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 5
USD 112 trillion, valueof fuel saving between2020 and 2050 frominvestment in low-carbonenergy systems
EUR 153 billion, theeconomic value in 2005of insect pollinators(mainly bees) for themain crops that feed theworld
USD 2.1 to 6.3 trillion,potential commercialopportunities by 2050related to environmentalsustainability in naturalresource sectors alone
1991, the year Swedenintroduced a carbon tax.The economy hascontinued to grow,expanding by 50% sincethen.
Sustainabledevelopmentprovides an importantcontext for greengrowth. The OECD
Green Growth Strategy leverages thesubstantial body of analysis and policyeffort that has flowed from the 1992 RioEarth Summit. It develops a clear andfocused agenda for delivering on anumber of Rio’s key aspirations.
Green growth has not been conceivedas a replacement for sustainabledevelopment, but rather should beconsidered a subset of it. It is narrower
international level. To achieve this theyshould be implemented in parallel withinitiatives centering on the broadersocial pillar of sustainable development.
The Strategy develops an actionablepolicy framework that is designed tobe flexible enough to be tailored todiffering national circumstances andstages of development. In partnershipwith initiatives by other internationalorganisations, including UNEP,UNESCAP and the World Bank, theOECD’s green growth work has beenplanned to contribute to the objectivesof Rio+20.
in scope, entailing an operational policyagenda that can help achieve concrete,measurable progress at the interface ofthe economy and the environment. Itprovides a strong focus on fostering thenecessary conditions for innovation,investment and competition that cangive rise to new sources of economicgrowth, consistent with resilientecosystems.
Green growth strategies need to payspecific attention to many of the socialissues and equity concerns that canarise as a direct result of greening theeconomy – both at the national and
Green growth and sustainable development
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6 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
Green growth in actionKorea, Ireland, China, Rwanda
“The rewards of greening the world’s economiesare tangible and considerable, the means are athand for both governments and the private sector,and the time to engage the challenge is now.” UNEP, Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development andPoverty Eradication www.unep.org/greeneconomy
The National Strategy for Green Growth and theFive-Year Plan (2009-2013) of Korea provide acomprehensive policy framework for greengrowth. The Strategy aims to: (1) promote eco-friendly new growth engines, (2) enhance peoples' quality of life, and (3) contribute to international efforts to fightclimate change. To facilitate its realisation, aPresidential Commission on Green Growth wasestablished in 2009 and a Framework Act onLow Carbon Green Growth was enacted in2010. The Five-Year Plan provides a blueprint forgovernment actions for implementation of theStrategy, containing specific budget earmarksand detailed tasks for ministries and localgoverning entities. Under the plan, thegovernment will spend about 2% of annual GDPon green growth programs and projects.
The National Development Plan of Ireland (2007-2013) sets out indicative financial allocations forinvestment priorities aimed at enhancing economiccompetitiveness and at providing a better quality oflife. It brings together different sectoral investmentpolicies into one overall framework, to promote co-ordination and alignment between policies,providing a financial framework within whichgovernment departments and agencies can planand deliver the implementation of publicinvestment. The environment chapter of the Plancovers transport, waste management, climatechange, environmental research, and sustainableenergy. In 2007, investment programmes with adirect impact on promoting environmentalsustainability exceeded EUR 1.3 billion.
The ‘Green Development’ section of China's12th Five Year Plan (FYP, 2011-2015) is amanifestation of the country's aspiration tomove towards a greener economy. The Plan isa strategic national roadmap, setting prioritiesregarding China's future socioeconomicdevelopment, and providing guidelines andtargets for policy making at the sectoral andsub-national level. The ‘Green Development’theme has identified six strategic pillars:climate change, resource saving andmanagement, circular economy, environmentalprotection, ecosystem protection and recovery,water conservation and natural disasterprevention. These pillars entail several newbinding targets (e.g. carbon emission per unitof GDP to be reduced by 17% by 2015, NOxand nitrogen air emissions to be reduced by10% by 2015), in addition to targets continuedfrom 11th FYP (e.g. energy intensity, SO2 andCOD pollution). Detailed policy guidelines havealso been provided in the 12th FYP, forinstance, energy-efficiency technologydemonstration and diffusion programs havebeen emphasised as the engine of both energysaving and new growth opportunities.
The Economic Development and PovertyReduction Strategy of Rwanda (2008-2012)represents the country’s second medium-termstrategy towards the attainment of the long-term Rwanda Vision 2020 Objectives. TheStrategy sets out medium-term objectives andindicative financial allocations. Environment isidentified as a key cross-cutting issue. Inaddition several sectors with strongenvironmental and natural resource contenthave been identified as critical for achievingRwanda’s development objectives, given theirlinks to production (e.g. land) or to health (e.g.water supply and sanitation). The Environment,Land and Forestry sector has been allocatedfor the period 2008-12 a total of RWF 62billion, representing 1.8% of total publicexpenditure. In turn, the Water and Sanitationsector has been allocated a total of RWF 146billion, representing 4.2% of total expenditure.
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The overarching goal of a framework for greengrowth is to establish incentives or institutionsthat increase well-being by:
� improving resource management and boosting productivity;
� encouraging economic activity to take placewhere it is of best advantage to society overthe long-term;
� leading to new ways of meeting the abovetwo objectives, i.e. innovation.
Greening the growth path of an economydepends on policy and institutional settings,level of development, resource endowmentsand particular environmental pressure points.Advanced, emerging, and developing countriesface different challenges and opportunities ingreening growth, as will countries with differingeconomic and political circumstances. Thereare, on the other hand, common considerationsthat need to be addressed in all settings. Andin every case, policy action requires lookingacross a very wide range of policies, not justtraditionally “green” policies.
The framework of the OECD Green GrowthStrategy provides a lens for looking at growthand identifying mutually reinforcing aspects ofeconomic and environmental policy. It recognisesthe full value of natural capital as a factor ofproduction along with other commodities andservices. It focuses on cost-effective ways ofattenuating environmental pressures to achieve atransition towards new patterns of growth thatwill avoid crossing critical local, regional andglobal environmental thresholds.
Such a strategy recognises that positiveoutcomes can only be produced up to a pointwith existing production technology andconsumer behaviour. At some stage, depletingnatural capital has negative consequences foroverall growth. We do not know preciselywhere this frontier lies in all cases, but we doknow that the ability to substitute reproduciblecapital (such as machines) for (depleted) naturalcapital is limited in the absence of innovation.
A green growth strategy also recognises thatfocusing on GDP as a measure of economicprogress generally overlooks the contributionof natural assets to wealth, health and well-being. It will therefore target a range ofmeasures of progress, encompassing thequality and composition of growth, and howthis affects people’s wealth and welfare.
Matching green growth policies and povertyreduction objectives will be important foradapting this framework to emerging anddeveloping countries. There are importantcomplementarities between green growth andpoverty reduction, which can help to driveprogress towards achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs). These include:
� more efficient water, energy and transportinfrastructure;
� alleviating poor health associated withenvironmental degradation; and
� introducing efficient technologies that canreduce costs and increase productivity, whileeasing environmental pressure.
Given the centrality of natural assets in low-income countries, green growth policies canreduce vulnerability to environmental risks andincrease the livelihood security of the poor.
A framework for green growth strategies
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 7
“Without taking care of theenvironment we are shavingdigits off GDP and, therefore,limiting our very potential for thefuture.” Inger Andersen, Vice President, SustainableDevelopment, The World Bankhttp://web.worldbank.org
22, the factor by whicheconomic output hasgrown in the 20thcentury
30 years of extra lifeexpectancy in mostparts of the world thanksto human progress in thepast 150 years
1.7 million, the numberof avoidable deaths inthe world each year fromwater pollution, primarilyamong children under 5years old
6.4 million, number ofavoidable deaths from airpollution
USD 1.3 trillion, themeasurable public healthbenefits from the USClean Air Act
50%, an estimate of thereduction in climatemitigation costs whenimprovements in lifeexpectancy are takeninto account
25% of the wealth inlow income countries isvested in natural capital
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Changing current patterns of growth, consumerhabits, technology, and infrastructure is a long-term project and we will have to live with theconsequences of past decisions for a long time.This “path dependency” is likely to intensifysystemic environmental risks even if we were toget policy settings right relatively swiftly.
Green growth strategies therefore need to beflexible enough to take advantage ofnew technologies and unexpectedopportunities and be able toabandon one approach if a betterone becomes available.
Efficient resource use andmanagement is a core goal ofeconomic policy and many fiscaland regulatory interventions thatare not normally associated with a“green” agenda will be involved ingreen growth.
Two broad sets of policies areessential elements in any greengrowth strategy:
� The first set consists of broadframework policies that mutuallyreinforce economic growth andthe conservation of naturalcapital. These include core fiscaland regulatory settings such astax and competition policy which, if welldesigned and executed, maximise theefficient allocation of resources. This is thefamiliar agenda of economic policy with theadded realisation that it can be as good forthe environment as for the economy.Innovation policies should be added to thisset as well.
� The second set includes policies providingincentives to use natural resources efficientlyand making pollution more expensive. Thesepolicies include a mix of price-basedinstruments, for instance environmentally-related taxes, and non-market instrumentssuch as regulations, technology supportpolicies and voluntary approaches.
While national circumstances will differ, putting aprice on pollution or on the over-exploitation ofscarce natural resources – through mechanismssuch as taxes or tradable permit systems –should be a central element of the policy mix.Pricing mechanisms tend to minimise the costsof achieving a given objective and provideincentives for further efficiency gains andinnovation.
Increased use of environmentallyrelated taxes can play an importantrole in growth-oriented tax reform byhelping to shift part of the taxburden away from more distortivecorporate and personal incometaxes and social contributions.Taxes on energy and CO2 can alsobe a part of a wider fiscalconsolidation package, offering anattractive alternative to higher taxeson labour or business income orcuts in public expenditure.
Not every situation lends itself tomarket instruments. In certaincases, well-designed regulation,active technology-support policiesand voluntary approaches may bemore appropriate or an importantcomplement to market instruments.In addition, the responsiveness ofbusinesses and consumers to price
signals can, in many situations, be strengthenedthrough information-based measures thathighlight the consequences of environmentaldamage caused by specific activities and theavailability of cleaner alternatives.
In all cases, economic policy decisions takentoday need to incorporate a longer time horizonbecause patterns of growth and technologicalchange tend to build on one another creatingpath dependency and technological andinstitutional lock-in. Environmental impacts arealso cumulative and sometimes irreversible.Action taken now to insure againstunfavourable, irreversible or even catastrophicoutcomes can avoid significant economic costsin the future.
What are the essentials of green growthstrategies?
8 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
1 generation from now,global GHG emissionsneed to be in decline
2 generations, thetypical lifetime of an
electric power station
Up to 10 generations,expected lifetime forpatterns of transport
links and urbandevelopment
5% of GDP, theaverage fiscal
consolidation requiredin OECD countries, no
later than 2025
3% of GDP, theapproximate revenue
potential of carbon taxesin the OECD, by 2020
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© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 9
Policies to address green growth constraints
Green growth constraints Policy options
Inadequate infrastructure – Public-private partnerships
– Public investment
– Tariffs
– Transfers
Low human and social capital – Subsidy reform/removal
and poor institutional quality – Growing and stablising
government revenue
Incomplete property rights, – Review and reform or remove
subsidies
Regulatory uncertainty – Set targets
– Create independent governance
systems
Information externalities and split – Labelling
incentives – Voluntary approaches
– Subsidies
– Technology and performance
standards
Environmental externalities – Tradable permits
– Subsidies
– Taxes
Low returns to R&D – R&D subsidies and tax incentives
– Focus on general purpose
technologies
Network effects – Strengthen competition in network
industries
– Subsidies or loan guarantees for
new network projects
Barriers to competition – Reform regulation
– Reduce government monopoly
What are the essentials of green growth strategies?
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Green innovation
Societies become dependent on institutions andtechnologies with which they are familiar. Socialand economic inertia can be so strong that evena change that could produce a large benefit willnot change behaviour. Innovation plays a key rolein greening growth by breaking dependence onestablished ways of doing things and helping todecouple growth from natural capital depletion.
For green innovation, green growth strategiesneed to address the following challenges:
� Many environmental externalities are under-priced or not priced at all. For example, acarbon price can encourage innovation totackle climate change, but current levels ofcarbon prices are too low to provide thenecessary incentives.
� New technologies may find it hard to competewith existing technologies, establish a place inthe market and scale up, in particular inmarkets such as energy and transport, where
existing technologies dominate. Investmentin relevant research and temporary supportfor the development and commercialisationof green technologies may be needed incertain cases. This support has to foster theemergence and uptake of efficienttechnologies while minimising the risks oftechnology lock-in, lack of competition orcrowding out of private investment.Strengthening markets for green innovationis also important, for example through well-designed public procurement standards andregulation.
� Barriers to trade and investment can place aserious brake on the development and diffusionof green technologies. Reducing these barriersand providing effective protection andenforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs)are essential to encourage the developmentand diffusion of technologies and the facilitationof foreign direct investment and licensing.Multilateral action will also be needed tofacilitate access to green technologies for theleast developed countries.
Green technology
17.4%
10.5%
4.9%
7.5%
5.7% 3.7% 6.6%
4.8%
10.6%
9.5%
14.2%
Material Science
Physics
Energy Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Immunology and Microbiology
Earth and Planetary Sciences Biochemistry, Geneticsand Molecular Biology
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Legend
Scientific citations
(100% = all citations)
Patents
The innovation-science link in selected green technologiesPatent-science link via citations, 2000-07
Source: OECD (2010), Measuring Innovation – A New Perspective, based on Scopus Custom Data, Elsevier, July
2009; OECD, Patent Database, January 2010; and EPO, Worldwide Patent Statistical Database, September 2009.
10 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
Green technologydevelopment isaccelerating in someareas. Between 1999and 2008, patentedinventions increasedannually by:24%, for renewableenergy20%, for electric andhybrid vehicles11%, for energyefficiency in building andlighting
25%, share of greentechnologies in allventure capitalinvestments in theUnited States in the firsthalf of 2010
26%, share ofgovernment energy R&Dbudgets devoted toenergy efficiency andrenewable energy, upfrom 13% in 1990
What are the essentials of green growth strategies?
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Policies to foster green innovation
Policy challenge Policy options
Insufficient demand for green innovation – Demand-side policies, such as public procurement,
standards and regulations, in specific markets and
circumstances
– Market-based instruments to price externalities and
enhance incentives
Lack of innovation capability – Broad-based policies to strengthen innovation
Technological roadblocks and lack of radical innovation – Investment in relevant R&D, including thematic and
mission-oriented research
– International cooperation
Research and investment bias to incumbent technology – R&D support, tax incentives
– Adoption incentives/subsidies
– Technology prizes
Lack of finance – Co-investment funds
– Market development
Regulatory barriers to new firms – Regulatory reform
– Competition policy
– Front-runner approaches
Lack of capabilities in SMEs to adopt green innovation – Access to finance
– Skills development
– Linking SMEs to knowledge networks
– Improving information supply
– Reducing regulatory burdens
Non-technological innovation – City and transport planning
– Regulatory reform
International technology transfer – Development of capabilities
– Trade and investment policies
– IPR protection and enforcement
– Voluntary patent pools and collaborative mechanisms
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 11
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Green growth initiatives
EUROPEAN UNION:
monitoring progress.
The EU’s Europe 2020
Strategy for a smart,
sustainable and
inclusive economy
monitors macro-
economic factors,
growth-enhancing
reforms, and public
finances.
DENMARK:
tomorrow’s
agriculture. Denmark’s
Agreement on Green
Growth (2009)
combines a high level of
environ mental, nature
and climate protection
with modern and
compet itive agriculture
and food industries.
UNITED STATES:
long-term growth.
The American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act
(2009) aims to create
and save jobs,
jumpstart the economy,
and build the
foundation for long-
term economic growth.
BRAZIL: sustainable
cities. Curitiba has the
highest rate of public
transport use in Brazil
and one of the lowest
rates of urban air
pollution thanks to
integrated urban
planning.
RWANDA: restoring
ecosystems.
Rwanda’s initiative to
preserve the mountain
gorilla’s habitat has
boosted tourism, which
now accounts for the
biggest share of
national GDP.
GERMANY: green
pioneer. The National
Strategy for Sustainable
Development (2002)
defined targets for 21
different sectors. In
2010 nearly 17% of
electricity supply was
generated from
renewable sources,
surpassing the target
value of 12.5%.
UK: green investment
bank. The Bank will be
launched in 2012, with
GBP 3 billion of public
money to provide
funding for low-carbon
projects that would be
too risky or whose
returns are too long-
term for the market to
invest in.
Note: This map is for illustrative purposes and is withoutprejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territorycovered by this map.
12 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
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JAPAN: green
innovation. Japan’s
National Strategic
Projects Related to
Green Innovation aim to
achieve a JPY 50 trillion
environment-related
market and to create
1.4 million new
environment-related
jobs.
KOREA: national
green growth plans.
Korea's National
Strategy for Green
Growth and the Five-
Year Plan (2009-2013)
provide a comprehen -
sive policy framework
for green growth. Under
the plan, the govern -
ment will spend about
2% of annual GDP on
green growth programs
and projects.
INDONESIA: reducing
subsidies. Indonesia
plans to reduce overall
energy subsidies by 10-
15% a year until 2014.
AUSTRALIA: efficient
infrastructure.
Infrastructure Australia’s
priorities are expected
to bring economic,
social and
environmental benefits
with significantly lower
costs than investment
in new capacity.
CHINA: renewable
energy. China aims to
produce 16% of its
primary energy from
renewable sources by
2020.
SOUTH AFRICA: new
growth plan. In 2011,
the Economic
Development Ministry
said that the Industrial
Development
Corporation has
committed ZAF 25
billion to new
investments in South
Africa's "green
economy" over the next
five years.
NEW ZEALAND:
advisory group on
green growth.
Ministers of Finance,
Economic Development,
and Environment jointly
established a high-level
private sector advisory
group to look at how to
add value to the export
industry, ensure smarter
uses of technology and
innovation and assist
SMEs to become more
energy efficient.
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 13
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Infrastructure investmentprogrammes
Greening growth will also require policies toestablish network infrastructure suitable fornext generation technologies, especially inenergy, transport, water and communications.Green infrastructure investments can helpavoid costly lock-in of inefficient patterns ofgrowth. They can lift economic growth andbring social and health benefits. In developingeconomies, there will be opportunities for leap-frogging to new forms of infrastructuredevelopment.
Leveraging public and private financing –through e.g. public-private partnerships, amixture of tariffs and taxes, facilitatinginvestment by major institutional partners byreforming regulatory barriers and throughsound long-term policy signals, anddevelopment assistance – will be necessarygiven the large-scale investments required inmost countries. Many countries haveannounced large increases in suchinvestments. For example, South Africa willinvest USD 44 billion in transport, water andenergy infrastructure between 2009 and2011 – a 73% increase from 2007-08 levels.
14 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
What are the essentials of green growth strategies?
Tariffs (user charges)
FranceAustria (WS)
Austria (WW)Moldova (WW)
MexicoCzech Republic (INV)
GeorgiaKorea
ArmeniaEthiopia
Mozambique (RWS)Egypt-Cairo
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100%
Tax-based subsidies ODA transfers
Financing of water supply and sanitation – sources of revenue, 2005-07
Source: OECD (2009), Managing Water for All: An OECD Perspective on Pricing and Financing.
Ageing water infrastructure is increasinglya problem in developed countries. Someestimates suggest that the United Stateswill have to invest USD 23 billion annuallyfor the next 20 years to maintain waterinfrastructure at current service levels,while meeting health and environmentalstandards. The United Kingdom andJapan will need to increase their waterspending by 20 to 40% to cope withurgent rehabilitation and upgrading oftheir water infrastructure. According to
revenues to help finance infrastructureneeds.
Investment in water infrastructure canreduce the strain on government healthbudgets by reducing external costs fromadverse health impacts resulting frompoor water and sanitation services.Benefit-to-cost ratios have been reportedto be as high as 7 to 1 for basic waterand sanitation services in developingcountries.
the WHO, in developing countries, USD18 billion will be needed annually toextend existing infrastructure to achievethe water-related MDGs, roughlydoubling current spending. An additionalUSD 54 billion per year will be neededjust to ensure continued services to thecurrently served population.
The application of sustainable costrecovery for water and sanitationservices can provide government
Investing in water infrastructure
0.012%, the currentshare of green bonds inthe USD 91 trillion globalbond market
WS = Water Supply – WW = Waste Water –
INV = Investment only – RWS = Rural Water Supply
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 14
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 15
Greening growth will see new jobs created,including skilled jobs in emerging innovativegreen activities. But some jobs will be at risk,so there is a need to facilitate the re-allocationof workers from contracting to expandingsectors and firms such as those that replacepolluting activities with cleaner alternatives orprovide environmental services.
The job creation potential of investing ingreen activitiesInvesting in green activities will create manyjobs, and a number of governments havealready stressed the sizeable job creationpotential of some of their green stimuluspackages and broader green growthstrategies. Beyond the short-run macrostabilisation packages, there is large potentialfor job creation associated with the expansionof renewable energies. Recent estimates
suggest that up to 20 million jobs could becreated worldwide by 2030 in renewableenergy generation and distribution.
Renewable energies will develop to aconsiderable extent at the expense of morepolluting energy sources with the associatedjob losses. However, these job losses are likelyto be concentrated on a small portion of thetotal workforce. Indeed, while the mostintensely-polluting industries account for alarge share of total CO2 emissions, theyaccount for only a small share of totalemployment (see figure). In 2004, on averageacross OECD countries for which data areavailable, 82% of CO2 emissions in the non-agricultural sector were generated by theseindustries, whereas they employed less than8% of the total workforce.
1. Sectors are ranked by increasing CO2 emissions intensity, defined as the ratio of CO2 emissions to valued added. At the level of disaggregation shown in thechart, seven sectors stand out as being the most polluting industries: three transport sectors, two energy producing sectors and two manufacturing sectors.Source: EU-LFS, GTAP database, KLEMS database.
How will green growth affect employment?
0
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40
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est
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and
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Elec
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Most polluting industries
Cumulative share of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion (% of total CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion)
Cumulative share of employment (% of total employment)
Sectoral employment and CO2 emission intensityUnweighted average across 27 OECD countries, 2004 1
The USD 90 billionplaced in clean energyinvestment in the USRecovery andInvestment Act isestimated to save orcreate 720 000 job-years by the end of2012.
KRW 50 trillion beinginvested as part ofKorea's ‘Green NewDeal’ are expected tocreate 960 000 jobsfrom 2009 to 2012,including jobs in anenvironmentally-friendlytransportation network,water management andriver rehabilitation, cleanenergy, greeninformation technologies,and waste-to-energy.
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 15
Overall, most studies agree that therestructuring of the energy sector towards acleaner energy mix has the potential togenerate sizeable net employment gains. Thisis because the renewable energy sectorgenerates more jobs per megawatt of powerinstalled, per unit of energy produced, and perdollar of investment, than the fossil fuel-basedenergy sector.
The overall long-term employment effectHowever, a transition to green growth is muchmore than shifting sources of energyproduction; it involves systemic changes acrossthe entire economy that can only be assessedwith comprehensive general equilibrium models.In this context, a growing number of economicmodelling teams have applied computablegeneral equilibrium (CGE) models to analyse theeconomic impacts of environmental policies,including the impacts on labour markets.Because labour market policies and institutionsvary widely across countries and interact incomplex ways with policies in other markets, itremains a challenge to introduce a thoroughrepresentation of labour market in environmentalCGE models. To provide further clarity on thesequestions, the OECD has also conductedillustrative simulation exercises looking at theimplications of climate policies using its cross-country multi-sector general equilibrium OECDENV-linkages model.
The simulations indicate that, for example,significant reductions of greenhouse gasemissions can be achieved with only limitedeffects on the pace of employment growth.Actually, labour market outcomes can improve ifrevenues from carbon pricing are used topromote labour demand. For example, underreasonable assumptions about the adjustmentpatterns in the labour market, OECDemployment would increase by 7.5% over theperiod 2013-2030, against 6.5% in absence ofmitigation actions, and this without any loss ofpurchasing power for workers. Moreover, theseestimates do not take into account the positiveimpact on employment stemming from thepotentially stronger growth generated by greeninnovation.
Labour market and skills policiesLabour market and training policies can play animportant role within the overall policy frameworkfor achieving green growth. Labour marketpolicies need to ensure that workers and firmsare able to adjust quickly to changes broughtabout by the greening of the economy, includingby seizing new opportunities. By helping workersto move from jobs in contracting sectors to jobsin expanding sectors, they can also help toassure a just sharing of adjustment costsoccasioned by the transition. New skills will beneeded and this will require appropriateeducation and training policies. While manyexisting skills will remain appropriate, skillmismatches and gaps may emerge. Training andre-training programmes will have an importantrole to play in helping workers to participate fullyin the emerging green economy.
The OECD Reassessed Jobs Strategyprovides a useful framework for identifyingpolicies that can reconcile the vigorousprocess of “creative destruction” required toachieve green growth with a high level ofemployment and shared prosperity. Threepolicy areas should be given priority topromote a smooth and just transition:
� A strong skills development system andactive labour market programmes thatfacilitate a quick re-integration of jobseekersinto employment are key supply-side policyelements for reinforcing the adaptivecapacity of labour markets.
� On the demand side, moderateemployment protection and strong productmarket competition are important supportsfor vigorous job creation as environmentalpolicies and eco-innovation create newgreen competitive niches.
� Policies that increase the adaptive capacityof labour markets need to be combined withflanking measures, such as unemploymentinsurance and in-work benefits, whichassure that dynamism is not achieved at thecost of excessive insecurity or inequality forworkers and their families.
16 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
How will green growth affect employment?
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 16
RussiaOil-exportingcountries1
Non-EU East area2
India China RoW-1
0
1
2
3
4.19%
1. This region includes the
Middle East, Algeria-Libya-
Egypt, Indonesia and
Venezuela.
2. This region includes Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia,
Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
For example the phasing out of fuel subsidieswill have positive impacts on the environmentand the economy overall, but may havenegative consequences for some nations orpopulation groups in the short term. A typicalpolitical economy dilemma arises. The losscaused by higher fuel prices will be immediatelyobvious and significant for some people, but theeconomic and environmental gains will takelonger to materialise and be more diffuse.Targeted compensatory measures will need tobe introduced, particularly in emerging marketswhere some populations are most vulnerable totransitional costs associated with greeninggrowth. As part of their commitment to reducefossil fuel subsidies, India and Indonesia, forexample, are taking important steps in thisdirection.
GHG emissions with fossil fuel subsidy removals % deviation from baseline
Addressing distributional concerns
-40-35-30-25-20-15-10-505
Rus
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exp
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-EU
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na
RoW
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nd N
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Impact on real income of unilateral removal of fossil fuel subsidies% deviation from baseline
There is a widespread perception that somepeople will be worse off because of greengrowth policies. While this is not the case,unless these concerns are addressed, somekey policies may be called into question.
Affected groups need to be part of the policymaking-process from the start. This processneeds to be transparent and clearly explain thereasons for reform. Firms’ concerns forchanges in competitiveness in the transitionshould be addressed through multilateral policycoordination. Compensatory schemes can bejustified, but they come with their own costs.Any negative impacts on poorer householdsneed to be offset through well-targetedprogrammes, taking account of settings acrossthe entire tax and transfer system.
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 17
10% reduction, inglobal GHG emissionsby 2050 from removingfossil fuel subsidies
2%-4%, the potentialreal income gainsfrom removing fossilfuel subsidies
TSource: OECD ENV-Linkages model based on subsidies data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 17
Note: The map shows how
frequently inventors from
different countries co-operate in
the development of patented
technologies. Based on data
extracted from EPO/OECD
Worldwide Patent Statistical
Database.
Source: Hascic, I., N.
Johnstone, F. Watson and C.
Kaminker (2010), “Climate
Policy and Technological
Innovation and Transfer: An
Overview of Trends and Recent
Empirical Results”, OECD,
Paris.
International technology cooperation as a means of developing capacity The case of solar photovoltaic technology
Creating a global architecture that is conduciveto green growth will require enhancedinternational co-operation. Strengtheningarrangements for managing global publicgoods, especially biodiversity and climate, hold the key to addressing co-ordination andincentive problems. The agreements reachedin 2010 at the Cancun Climate Summit givereason to be optimistic that progress can bemade, but further efforts are needed. Financialflows in particular need to become both anengine for growth and development as well asan incentive to maintain the quality of theglobal commons.
Official Development Assistance (ODA)can continue to play an important role increating enabling conditions for green growth,by targeting areas where incentives for privateinvestment are limited and investment isscarce, including essential infrastructure andhuman and institutional capacity building.ODA’s contribution to green growth indeveloping countries can be furtherstrengthened by ensuring that climate proofingand disaster risk reduction approaches are
mainstreamed in public investments. Similarly,aid for poverty reduction needs to promotelivelihoods that are secure and resilient toenvironmental degradation.
Increased co-operation in science andtechnology will need to be underpinned bymore concerted approaches to acceleratetechnology development and diffusion, andbuild research capacity in developing countries.The use of targeted, time-bound financingmechanisms, such as loan guarantees andinsurance mechanisms, other forms of risksharing, and a commitment to stable,predictable economic and environmental policy,are important to promote timely diffusion ofgreen technologies and processes.
Increased efforts to boost global tradeand investment flows could help underpinsustained growth and diffusion of greentechnologies. There is also a need to ensurethat the development prospects of low-incomecountries are not undermined through thepotential spill-over effects of domestic tradeand investment measures.
International co-operation for green growth
18 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
This map is for illustrative
purposes and is without
prejudice to the status of or
sovereignty over any territory
covered by this map.
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 18
Aid targeting environmental challengesCategorised according to the Rio Conventions, USD million 1
Biodiversity
Climate change
Desertification
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000USD millions
1998-99 2000-01 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 19
Some countries have expressed concern thattrade and investment could be affected if thegreen growth policy agenda were captured byprotectionist interests. While investmentprotectionism associated with green growthpolicies has not been found to be a majorproblem to date, continued vigilance should beencouraged. The OECD-hosted Freedom ofInvestment Roundtable will continue to monitorinvestment measures to ensure that they arenot used as disguised protectionism.Governments are encouraged to continue tomonitor their investment treaty practices withregard to environmental goals.
With a view to the2012 Rio+20Conference, recentefforts to foster greengrowth have seen a
growing number of internationalinitiatives.
The United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP)-led Green EconomyInitiative (GEI) launched in 2008 bringstogether over 20 UN agencies topromote investment in green(er) sectors.Since 2010, the GEI has been providingadvisory services to a number ofgovernments, with an active presence infifteen countries. In February 2011,UNEP launched its report GreenEconomy: Pathways to SustainableDevelopment and Poverty Eradication,which asserts that a green economy isnot only relevant to more developedeconomies but can be a catalyst forgrowth and poverty eradication indeveloping countries as well.
As part of the efforts to supportcountries on assessing progresstowards green growth, the OECD and
being developed jointly by the WorldBank, OECD and UNEP. The platformbrings together proponents ofsustainable development to promoteand implement green growth policies byexchanging knowledge, information andexperience. The three organisations arealso joining their efforts to provide co-ordinated contributions to Rio+20 (June2012), which will mark a milestone forpromoting a global green economictransformation.
Other emerging institutions, notably theGlobal Green Growth Institute (GGGI),are playing an increasingly importantrole in the creation of a globalarchitecture conducive to drivinggreener growth. Promoting a strongpartnership and knowledge-sharingbetween a diverse group of internationaland regional organisations as well asgovernments, the GGGI supports thecreation and diffusion of green growththat integrates objectives for povertyreduction, opportunity creation, andsocial development with objectives forenvironmental sustainability, climateresilience, and energy security.
UNEP are working closely together, andalso with other organisations, includingthe UN Statistics Division (UNSD), otherUN agencies, the World Bank,EUROSTAT, and the EuropeanEnvironment Agency (EEA), to developa common set of core indicators for thegreen economy.
International initiatives exploring theimplications of green growth at thesectoral level include the FAO's projecton Greening the Economy withAgriculture, covering sustainabledevelopment, food security and povertyalleviation through the mobilisation ofthe food and agriculture sector. A jointFAO-OECD international expert meetingwill be held in September 2011.
The IEA and the OECD are developinga joint report on green growth in theenergy sector which will be launched inJune 2011.
In March 2011 the World Bank calledon governments and developmentagencies to join a new globalknowledge platform on green growth
International initiatives and co-operation on green growth
1. Members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), two-year averages, commitments,constant 2008 prices.Source: OECD-DAC: CRS Aid Activity database.
International co-operation for green growth
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 19
Moving towards green growth requiresappropriate information and comparable data tosupport policy analysis and to track progress,including at international level. The OECDframework for monitoring progress towardsgreen growth explores four inter-related groupsof indicators on:
� Environmental and resource productivity,to capture the need for efficient use of naturalcapital and aspects of production which arerarely quantified in economic models andaccounting frameworks.
� Economic and environmental assets, toreflect the fact that a declining asset basepresents risks to growth, and becausesustained growth requires the asset base tobe kept intact.
� Environmental quality of life, capturing thedirect impacts of the environment on people’slives, through for example access to water orthe damaging effects of air pollution.
� Economic opportunities and policyresponses, which can be used to help discernthe effectiveness of policy in delivering greengrowth and where the effects are most marked.
Monitoring progress towards green growth
For each group, a list of indicators is proposed onthe basis of existing OECD work and experience.The list constitutes work in progress and will befurther elaborated as data become available andas concepts evolve. It is complemented byindicators describing the socio-economic contextand the characteristics of growth.
Work to date suggests that while there aresignificant differences between countries, thegrowth rates of GDP and other measures of outputtend to outstrip the growth rates of environmentalinputs into the production system. In other words,environmental and resource productivity has beenrising. However, improved environmentalproductivity is not necessarily accompanied byabsolute decreases in environmental pressure orthe sustainable use of some natural assets.
Indicators that measure the “green economy”need to be interpreted carefully. Judged simply bythe size of industries involved in the production ofenvironmental goods and services, today’s “greeneconomy” is relatively small. However, economicopportunities, entrepreneurship and innovation inconjunction with green growth can arise in allsectors, so an assessment based on greenindustries understates the economic importanceof environmentally-related activities.
20 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
150
140
130
120
110
100
901990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
160GDP
Energy supply
Greenhouse gas emissions
Municipal waste generation
Non energy material consumption
Decoupling trends, OECDIndex, 1990 = 100
Source: OECD and IEA environmental data.
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:58 Page 20
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 21
Overview of proposed indicator groups and topics covered
The environmental and resourceproductivity of the economy
• Carbon and energy productivity• Resource productivity: materials, nutrients, water• Multi-factor productivity
• Renewable stocks: water, forest, fish resources• Non-renewable stocks: mineral resources• Biodiversity and ecosystems
• Environmental health and risks• Environmental services and amenities
• Technology and innovation• Environmental goods and services• International financial flows• Prices and transfers• Skills and training• Regulations and management approaches
• Economic growth and structure• Productivity and trade• Labour markets, education and income• Socio-demographic patterns
1
The natural asset base2
The environmental dimension ofquality of life
3
Economic opportunities andpolicy responses
4
Socio-economic context andcharacteristics of growth
Amenities, healthand safety aspects
Pollutants waste
Energy and raw materials,water, land, biomass, all
Sink functions
Servicefunctions
Resource functions
Natural asset base (capital stocks, enviromental quality)
Economic activities (production, consumption, trade)
Consumption Production
Investments Multi-factorproductivity
HouseholdsGovernments
Recycling,re-use
remanufacturingsubstitution
InputsOutputs
Income Goodsand Services
Residuals Resources
Labour Capital
13
2
4
Policies,measures,
opportunities
Monitoring progress towards green growth
Measurement framework
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 21
Constructing green growth strategies
Low economic returns
Inertia
Low returns to R&D
Network effects
Barriers to competition
Incomplete propertyrights, perverse
subsidies, preferences to incumbents
Norms and habits
Low social returns Government failure Market failure
Low appropriabilityof returns
Inadequateinfrastructure
Low human capital
Low social capitaland poor institutional
quality
Policy unpredictabilityand regulatory
uncertainty
Information externalities and split
incentives
Negative externalities
Low returns to “green” activities,
innovation and investment
Green growth diagnostic
22 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
Green growth should be conceived as astrategic complement to existing environmentaland economic policy reform priorities. Ifgovernments wish to green the growth pathsof their economies, they need to treat thepolicy challenges as ones that go to the coreof their economic strategies. This implies aleading role for finance, economy andenvironment agencies.
To facilitate the development of green growthstrategies and policy prioritisation, the reportTowards Green Growth includes a diagnosticframework for identifying key constraints togreening growth and possible policyresponses. This exercise is further developedin an accompanying toolkit: Tools forDelivering on Green Growth.
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 22
© OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS . 23
Examples of OECD work on green growth
To succeed, green growth strategies need tobe mainstreamed into government policies.
The OECD is uniquely placed to contribute tothese efforts, thanks to its long experience incollecting data, designing tools to analyse it,and integrating expertise from a range of policydomains into a coherent approach.
The delivery of the Green Growth Strategyin May 2011 will mark the starting point ofOECD's longer-term agenda to supportnational and international efforts toachieve greener growth.
Moving forward, the framework and policyinsights of the report can be tailored toaccount for country-specific circumstances,and provide guidance for continued analysis inthe form of country reviews. Such work canoffer opportunities for an in-depth appraisal ofthe way in which policies are working together(or not) to drive greener growth. Thedevelopment and refinement of the greengrowth toolkits that will accompany thisStrategy can further support policyimplementation at the national level.
Experience gained through both countryreviews and general policy assessment willlead to the development of an analytical tool toidentify country-specific policy priorities on thebasis of a cross-country analysis andunderstanding of what is good practice. Thiswould benefit from further work on greengrowth indicators and measurement issues.Indeed, an important measurement agendaarises from confronting indicators with availableand internationally comparable data. TheOECD will be advancing the measurementagenda in the years ahead so as to improvethe possibilities for tracking the transition togreen growth in OECD and other economies.
Further analytical work on the costs andbenefits of various policy instruments alsoneeds to be carried out. Moreover, work onissue-specific and sector-specific studies willprovide more concrete insights into theimplications of greening growth in a number ofareas. Early priorities include food andagriculture, the energy sector, water,biodiversity and development co-operation, as well as policies governing cities and ruraldevelopment.
Next steps of the OECD Green Growth Strategy
May 2011
� Towards Green Growth – Green Growth Strategy
synthesis report
� Towards Green Growth – Monitoring Progress: OECD
Indicators
� Tools for Delivering on Green Growth
2011-2012
� A Green Growth Strategy for Food and Agriculture:
Preliminary Report
� Joint IEA/OECD Green Growth Study on Energy
� Green growth monitoring work:
– Green growth indicators
– Green growth incorporated in Economic Surveys and
Environmental Performance Reviews
– Green growth reports for emerging economies
– Monitoring green investment protectionism concerns
� Report on green growth and developing countries
� Report on green innovation
� Innovation policy platform
� Green growth and biodiversity
� Green growth and water
� Green Cities Programme
� Renewable energy and rural development
� Project on green financing
� Environmental regulations and growth
� Green fiscal revenue
� Job potential of a shift towards a low-carbon economy
� Report on the local transition to a green economy
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 23
A Framework for Assessing GreenGrowth Policies, OECD EconomicsDepartment Working Paper, No. 685(2010)
Better Policies to Support Eco-innovation (2011)
Cities and Climate Change (2010)
Eco-Innovation in Industry:Enabling Green Growth (2010)
Economic Policy Reforms 2010:Going for Growth (2010)
Employment Impacts of Climate Change Mitigation Policies inOECD: A General-EquilibriumPerspective, OECD EnvironmentWorking Papers, No. 32 (2011)
Energy Technology Perspectives2010: Scenarios and Strategies to2050, IEA (2010)
Environmental Outlook to 2030(2008)
Globalisation, Transport and theEnvironment (2010)
Greener and Smarter: ICTs, theEnvironment and Climate Change(2010)
Greening Household Behaviour:the Role of Public Policy (2011)
Greening Jobs and Skills: LabourMarket Implications of AddressingClimate Change, OECD Local Economicand Employment Development (LEED)Working Paper Series (2010)
Linkages between AgriculturalPolicies and EnvironmentalEffects: Using the OECD StylisedAgri-environmental Policy ImpactModel (2010)
OECD Green Growth Studies:Energy (2011, forthcoming)
OECD Green Growth Studies: Foodand Agriculture (2011, forthcoming,preliminary report)
Paying for Biodiversity: Enhancingthe Cost-Effectiveness of Paymentsfor Ecosystem Services (2010)
Subsidy Reform and SustainableDevelopment: Political EconomyAspects, OECD SustainableDevelopment Studies (2007)
Taxation, Innovation and theEnvironment (2010)
The Economics of AdaptingFisheries to Climate Change (2011)
The Economics of Climate ChangeMitigation: Policies and Options forGlobal Action beyond 2012 (2009)
The OECD Innovation Strategy:Getting a Head Start on Tomorrow
Tools for Delivering on GreenGrowth (2011)
Towards Green Growth (2011)
Towards Green Growth –Monitoring Progress: OECDIndicators (2011)
Transition to a Low-CarbonEconomy: Public Goals andCorporate Practices (2010)
World Energy Outlook 2010, IEA(2010)
Key OECD publications
24 . © OECD TOWARDS GREEN GROWTH: A SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 24
“Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation arecontinuing to escalate, thereby putting businessat risk, but if managed properly, can betransformed into new opportunities.”Björn Stigson, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Developmentwww.wbcsd.org
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:47 Page 25
International Green Growth Dialogue (IGGD)To increase international co-ordination, OECD membercountries have launched an International Green GrowthDialogue (IGGD), with the participation of emerging anddeveloping countries, international organisations, the privatesector and NGOs. This will encourage discussion around greengrowth issues and provide a platform to exchange lessonslearned and best practices.
Join the discussion on the secure website:https://community.oecd.org/community/greengrowth
To register, please email your contact details to:greengrowth@oecd.org. Registered users will receive a regular newsletter on green growth topics.
For more information: www.oecd.org/greengrowth
OECD Green Growth layout [Eng] [7a mono]:Layout 1 23/5/11 15:49 Page 26
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