October 2012: According to a report from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank, countries seeking to balance economic growth with carbon reduction can achieve both. The report details case studies on low-carbon development in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland and South Africa.

The report proposes frameworks for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, highlighting approaches to low-carbon development that balance challenges like poverty, climate change and energy use. Globally, the report’s findings focus on development of green technologies, engaging mainstream leadership across sectors, and meeting potential increased demand for technical assistance. It suggests that larger countries with rapidly-developing economies, such as Brazil, China, and India, have the most at stake in cost-effective low-carbon development, and notes that these three countries were responsible for over 40 percent of global renewable energy investment in 2010.

The case studies offer country-specific recommendations on emission reduction to promote economic benefit from carbon-reducing technologies and avoid fluctuations in fuel prices. The report suggests all seven countries under consideration show potential to reduce GHG emissions without compromising, and sometimes even increasing, economic growth. It recommends flexibility, tailoring frameworks to each country’s needs, and focusing on multiple sectors including energy, land use, forestry, urban planning, and transport.

ESMAP was established in 1983 as a global, multidonor technical assistance trust fund administered by the World Bank and cosponsored by 12 official bilateral donors. Active in more than 50 countries in developing and transition regions around the world, ESMAP projects range in activity from energy access and electrification to green transport. [Publication: Planning for a Low Carbon Future: Lessons Learned from Seven Country Studies]