5 June 2013: To mark World Environment Day, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a report, titled ‘Putting Green Growth at the Heart of Development.’

The report explores the interface between environment, poverty reduction and development, with chapters on: understanding the development dimension of green growth; why is green growth vital for developing countries?; an agenda for action on national green growth policy; international cooperation on green growth; measuring progress towards green growth; and gearing up for green growth across the developing world. The report reviews 74 policies and measures from 37 countries and 5 regional initiatives, and seeks to provide a guide for national and international policies and practices to address green growth.

At the national level, the report suggests: establishing leadership, a vision and a plan for green growth; designing, reforming and implementing policies that stimulate green growth; and strengthening governance and developing capacity and resources.

At the international level, it suggests: strengthening green finance and investment; promoting green technology innovation through cooperation and building capacity for endogenous green innovation and adoption, as well as protecting intellectual property rights and fostering enabling conditions for successful technology transfer; and facilitating trade in green goods and services through fostering international markets, removing tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, and building capacity in developing countries.

The report also summarizes six tools to integrate the environment into economic decision-making: energy subsidy reform; environmental taxes and fees reform; payments for ecosystem services; standards and certification of sustainable production; sustainable public procurement; and land tenure. [Publication: Putting Green Growth at the Heart of Development] [Guest Article by Erik Solheim: Green Growth is the Heart of Development]