Green Economy and Cities: Towards sustainability? Sirkku Juhola Department of Environmental Sciences

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1 Green Economy and Cities: Towards Sirkku Juhola Department of Environmental Sciences / Green Economy and Cities: Towards 1

2 Outline Defining green economy Green economy and cities: Why do they matter? Progress towards a green economy in cities: research findings 2

3 Emerging concept- or is it? Earliest references from the late 1980s (Pearce et al 1989) Focus on the nexus of economic growth and environmental sustainability Revival of the concept since 2010s Is a green economy a pathway to achieving sustainable development? 3

4 A green economy is one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive (UNEP 2011) 4

5 A green economy is This development path should maintain, enhance and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly on nature (UNEP 2011) 5

6 A green economy is Economic indicators: share of investments or the share of output and employment in sectors that meet a sustainability standard, such as green GDP. Environmental indicators: resource use efficiency or pollution intensity at either the sectoral or economy-wide level, for example, energy use/gdp, or water use/gdp Aggregate indicators of progress and well-being: for example, macroeconomic aggregates to reflect natural capital depreciation, including integrated environmental and economic accounting, or broader interpretations of well-being beyond narrow definitions of per capita GDP (UNEP 2011) 6

7 Emerging concept- or is it? Another oxymoron? (Brand 2012) Internalisation of externalities Tax reforms Enhance research and development Target public investment Is it really possible to overcome environmental degradation through more growth? (Lander 2011) 7

8 Why are urban areas important? Less than two percent of the Earth s surface is occupied by urban areas Urban areas accommodate over half of the world s population Urban areas account for 70 percent of the world s GDP Cities consume more than two thirds of global energy Cities produce more than half of the world s greenhouse gas emissions Sources: The World Bank, UN-Habitat, LSE Cities 8

9 What evidence is there of transitions towards a green economy? LSE cities/iclei survey in preparation of the Rio+20 A survey of 65 cities with questionnaire focusing on Green policies Green economy Smart city technology Green policy assessment Roles, actors and government Targeted elected representatives and city officials 9

10 What evidence is there of transitions towards a green economy? 10

11 What evidence is there of transitions towards a green economy? 11

12 What evidence is there of transitions towards a green economy? Most cities (95%) have a green strategy, whilst some also have action plans Four cities have a legally-binding city plan to guide overall development Involvement of stakeholder groups considered important: Community groups State/regional government General public NGOs Business and industry associations 12

13 What evidence is there of transitions towards a green economy? 50 out 53 expected their green policies to have a positive economic impact Green transport the most significant sector of economic growth, alongside retrofitting existing buildings, renewable energy and green goods and services Barriers were insufficient public funding, insufficient support from the national level, lack of public support and lack of skills in local government 13

14 Concluding remarks Is a green economy the way to achieve Cities are making progress but is it enough? What comes after green? feature=player_embedded&v=b8wumam3gc8 14