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Strengthening Green Growth and Green Jobs – the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Roadmap to a Resource-efficient Europe

Dr Manfred RosenstockDG Environment, European Commission

Berlin, 5th March 2014The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission

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Competition for resources (including raw materials) increases, scarcities => prices rise => impact on European economy

Challenges

20th cent.: 12-fold increase of fossil fuel use, material extraction 8-fold

Demand for food, feed and fibre may increase by 70% by 2050

60% of world’s major ecosystems that help produce these, already degraded or used unsustainably

WBCSD: by 2050 need for 4 to 10 fold increase in resource efficiency, significant changes needed by 2020

EU consumes 16 to. of material p.a., of which 5 to. become waste

Major increase in demand by emerging economies, e.g. China

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Short term benefits

Growth and job creation

Improving competitiveness and security of supply

Inducing innovation

Supporting fiscal consolidation

Longer term opportunities

Economic and Environmental resilience

Improving competitiveness and security of supply

Improved quality of life and human health

Global stability

Opportunities from resource efficiency/greening the economy

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Opportunities for growth:EU Share of world eco-industries, 2008

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

EU share of world markets

Power generationEnergy efficiencyMaterial EfficiencyWater ManagementSustainable mobilityWaste management

Source: ESTAT, 2011

Employment in, environmental goods and services industries sector grew by 20% during 2007-11 in spite of the recession. World market expected to double in size until 2020

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Jobs linked to the Environment

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A green economy for future competitiveness

Green jobs: All jobs that depend on the environment or are created, substituted or redefined (in terms of skills sets, work methods, profiles greened, etc.) in the transition process towards a greener economy

Study results: Reducing the total material requirement of 17 -24% can lead to

boosting GDP by up to 3.3% and creating 1.4 -2.8 million jobs Potential gains for businesses of between 3 and 8% of turnover by

using resources more efficiently Implementation of individual energy efficiency measures could

lead to 2 million green jobs created or retained by 2020 McKinsey: $ 2.3 trn global gain in improving resource efficiency

in various sectors6

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Europe 2020 Strategy and Resource efficiency

Need to adapt our economic structures to increasing resource scarcity („green growth“, „eco-efficient economy“). Strategic approaches:

• Europe 2020: Sustainable growth as one priority; Resource efficiency as key element;

• Flagship Initiative “A resource efficient Europe”: Help decouple economic growth from resource use, support shift towards a low carbon economy (renewable energy sources, transport, energy efficiency);

• Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe: Framework for implementation of EU and MS initiatives for resource efficiency; Systematic stakeholder involvement

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Transforming the economy

• Promote sustainable production and consumption patterns: e.g. Green Public Procurement, eco-design of products

• Stimulating research & innovation: Horizon 2020, innovation partnerships.

• Getting the prices right: Phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies; shift from taxing labour towards environmental taxes, further development of the ETS

• Turning waste into a resource: stimulating secondary materials markets, improving implementation.

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Opportunities for more efficiency: Recycling of municipal waste, 2011

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Opportunities for more efficiency: Environmental taxes as % of all taxes, 2011

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Safeguarding our natural capital

Examples of recent initiatives:• Green Infrastructure: network of high-quality natural areas

that provide ecosystem services and connectivity. Communication 2013

• Water Blueprint: integration of resource-efficiency considerations into water policy, framework of measures and instruments.

• Review of air quality policy: Carry successes in air pollution reduction further, reduce health effects and impacts on soil etc.

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Green economy package, 2014

• Review of targets in the area of waste management and

improvements in implementation

• Steps towards a circular economy – eco-design, use of

market-based instruments, setting of targets and indicators

• Faciliating the financing of investments in resource efficiency

• Recommendations of the European Resource Efficiency

Platform

• Further COM initiatives foreseen on food and construction

waste, follow up to Rio+20, Green Jobs.

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency/

http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_de.htm

Thank you for your attention!