The Green Economy and Sustainable Development: An Uneasy Balance?

Abstract

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20) was conceived at a time of great concern for the health of the world economy. In this atmosphere 'green economy' was chosen as one of two central themes for the conference, building on a burgeoning body of literature on the green economy and growth. This research examines the relationship and influence between the double crisis and the rise of 'greening' as part of the solution. The aim is to understand what defines and distinguishes the proposals contained in twenty-four sources on the green economy (including policy documents by international agencies and think tanks, and research papers), and what is the meaning and implication of the rising greening agenda for sustainable development as it enters the 21st century. Through a systematic qualitative analysis of textual material, three categories of discourse that can illuminate the meaning and implication of greening are identified: 'almost business as usual', 'greening', and 'all change'. An analysis of their relationship with Dryzek's classification of environmental discourse leads to the identification of three interrelated patterns: (1) scarcity and limits, (2) means and ends, and (3) reductionism and unity-which deepen our understanding of the tensions between emerging propositions. The patterns help explain the meaning and implications of greening for sustainable development, revealing an economisation and polarisation of discourses, the persisting weak interpretation of sustainable development, and a tension between the fixing or shifting of dominant socioeconomic paradigms that underpin its conceptualisation.

Societal transformation in response to global environmental change: A review of emerging concepts

“…For example, programs that are focused on green growth, green economy, or low-carbon development all aim at changing the current models of development, mostly measured in terms of environmental performance, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases. However, these have generated controversy (Bowen and Fankhauser 2011;Bina 2013), as they are often defined within given economic models based on economic growth that overlook issues of social justice, which can in fact be considered to be at the root of GEC (Unmüßig et al 2012;Bina 2013). It is apparent that the characterization of green growth, green economics, or low-carbon development as transformational change depends on the conceptualization of transformation (i.e., system boundaries, form and temporal range, seat of causality and social consciousness, and outcome), which reinforces the call for rigorous conceptualizations, by which important differences and similarities can be exposed and challenged.…”

Measuring Germany’s Transition to a Green Economy

“…As reflected by [10], the understanding of what constitutes a green economy is far from universally shared, with ideas ranging from business-as-usual to allchange strategies. Under the German Environment Ministry's definition [11], the term green economy describes an economic strategy that protects the climate, continually reduces harmful emissions and pollutant inputs into the environment, practices closed-cycle waste management with a view to creating a circular economy, reduces the use of resources in absolute terms and acts consistently in harmony with nature and the environment.…”

Sustainability and Cultural Capital: An Opportunity to Improve the Built Environment

“…People have been involved in this process both passively, as end users of the built environment, and actively, as promoters of green behaviours in the built environment; positive outcomes are usually referred to the improvement of human health, indoor and outdoor, and the increasing of environmental awareness. All this sustainability action scenario has both favoured and been favoured by the so called green economy, referred to as the essential way for practicing the economic development and also exiting from the recent economic crisis (Bina, 2013). The three pillars of sustainable development, environment, society, economy, have therefore considered as respected in the implementation of sustainability in the built environment.…”