January 2011: On 13-14 December 2010, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held a Ministerial Roundtable on Sustainable Development, themed “Strategies for Green Growth: Framing the Issues.” In January 2011, the OECD released a summary of the proceedings.

Rather than providing a direct account of the meeting’s discussions, the 1o-page document takes the form of an analysis of the state of affairs, providing insights into the Ministers’ views on needed steps to re-shift political and social goals. It discusses Green Growth as a method to achieve desired ecological and economic objectives concurrently.

It begins by framing the challenging situation facing the world today, noting in particular economic crises, climate change and biodiversity loss, and looks into the past at relevant discussions at the OECD and elsewhere in the 1970s, which are resurfacing today on issues such as: the compatibility between economic growth and environmental protection; impact assessment; and making policy instruments used to steer growth more socially just and environmentally friendly. Following this review, the document discusses the need, and methods required, to reframe growth discursively and politically to be more inclusive. It highlights issues of practicality and pragmatism in policy making, and creating a measurement framework for such policies. The next section is on creating opportunities for cleaner production and consumption.

The report closes with a list of elements required to deliver on the imagined policy shifts, such as: strong institutions; strong leadership that understands that voters do not tend to punish reform; and ensuring implementation at all levels. [Publication: Strategies for Green Growth: Framing the Issues]