Putting Green Growth at the Heart of Development

ENVIRONET Expert Workshop on Green Growth, Development Planning and Policy20 February, 2014

Serge Tomasi, Deputy Director

Development Co-operation Directorate

Why is green growth vital for the future of developing countries?

• Green growth is vital to secure a more sustainable future for developing countries and can lead to large economic and social benefits over time.

Malaria

Unsafe water supply and sanitation*

Ozone

Indoor air pollution

Particulate matter

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

201020302050

Deaths (millions of people)

Premature deaths worldwide from air pollutants and other environmental causes, 2010 - 2050

• The costs of inaction are high. Climate change, natural resource depletion and degradation, pollution risk undermining future growth and will disproportionately affect the poor.

• Developing countries are more dependent on natural resources than developed countries, making their economies vulnerable to environmental challenges.

What benefits can green growth bring to developing countries?

• Benefits of green growth are potentially large Sustained natural assets, new economic opportunities, reduced

vulnerability to natural disasters, reduced water and air pollution

• Need to reconcile short-term priorities with long-term sustainable development goals to transition to a new growth model Challenges include: access to basic services and infrastructure,

large informal economies, urban poor, weak capacity to value natural assets in decisions

• Green growth can reduce poverty and address social equity Payments for ecosystem services, reallocating fossil fuel subsidies to

transport and health services

• An increasing number of examples of developing countries implementing green growth policies, with promising results, but efforts are recent and still limited in scope.

Putting green growth at the heart of the national development agenda

Essential elements of the national agenda for action:

• Lead, incentivise, inform and govern to “go green”;

• Cross-cutting policy priorities - Innovation, green investment, adaption to climate change, building skills and business capacity;

• Design policies to be pro-poor .

Co-operation between developed and developing countries will make or break global green growth

Three pillars for international co-operation:

• Facilitate trade in green goods and services

• Promote green technology and innovation through co-operation

• Strengthen green finance and investment

Source: OECD, 2013

Bilateral  commitments 2006-2012, USD billion, constant 2011 prices   

Aid to biodiversity, climate and the environment has increased

THANK YOU!

For more information:

OECD DCD Environment and Development Homepage

www.oecd.org/dac/environment-development

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