A group of 15 leading environmental and development cooperation organisations launched the Green Growth Best Practice Initiative (GGBP). Designed to help governments strengthen the quality of green growth planning and implementation through analysis and peer-to-peer learning, the initiative is set to drive progressive green policy-making around the globe, reads a GGBP press release.
Among the founders of the GGBP it is worth mentioning: The European Climate Foundation, The Climate Development & Knowledge Network, The Global Green Growth Institute and the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
As human-induced climate change, environmental degradation and resource scarcity threatens the sustainable future of our economies and habitats, green- and low carbon growth plans are being developed in numerous industrialised and developing countries. Such green growth plans and programs allow governments, businesses, and communities to achieve long-term social and economic goals through a transformation to resource efficient and sustainable systems. To date, however, there is not enough knowledge-sharing between countries. It remains a challenge to increase communication and peer-to-peer learning This situation will be transformed by the GGBP, which will provide valuable insights on best practice at all levels of the policy-making process, aiming to significantly improve the quality and success rate of green growth planning and implementation.
The initiative is supported by various funders: the International Climate Initiative (ICI) funded by the German Government, the Climate Development and Knowledge Network funded by the governments of the UK and the Netherlands, the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). These partners, together with the steering group of high-level organisations bring a unique set of expertise to the challenge.
Bert Metz, Chair of the GGBP steering committee and Fellow of the European Climate Foundation, said: “The European Climate Foundation wants to help governments implement effective green growth measures in their economies. Unless we grow our economies in sustainable ways, we risk a crisis in the future that is more serious and enduring than the recession we are currently experiencing”.
Over the next 18 months assessments of green growth best practices will look at short and long-term solutions, answering questions like how should green growth strategies be incorporated into government planning, how should emission inventories be managed and how should the effectiveness of policies be assessed.
In these efforts, the GGBP will engage leading experts from developed and developing countries as well as create opportunities for learning and interaction of the broad community of practitioners, policy-makers, academics and private sector experts.
Youba Sokona, the Director of the African Climate Policy Center located in Ethiopia said: “Achieving social development and economic growth without locking in damaging greenhouse gas emissions is a challenge facing all economies in the world today. The opportunity to build on the experience of those who have already achieved successes in low carbon and climate resilient development will be enormously helpful.”
The initiative is expected to run until at least early 2014.
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