10 May 2011: In a keynote speech to the 17th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society in New York, US, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres observed that, despite some advances, the green growth agenda has not progressed “beyond the status of secondary agenda,” and “green, sustainable growth has not yet become the global norm.”

She added that the necessary transition towards green growth “is a piecemeal process that takes time,” but expressed her firm belief that “we will get to this next transition – provided we stay at it.” She provided an overview of the climate change negotiations, from the adoption of the UNFCCC until the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico, in 2010. Figueres underscored that the Cancun agreements constitute “a good springboard for moving forward some solutions for the transition to green growth and sustainability.”

She emphasized the importance of the low-carbon pathway, observing that “it does not make sense to rest all economic activity on the back of an overly expensive, finite system.” She added that the Agreements offer “the first official step away from carbon-intensive growth,” and lay the ground for the development of low-carbon policies. Figueres called on national governments to turn the Cancun Agreements into action, and for national policies to provide the “muscle that implements international will.”

The 17th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), held under the theme “Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Opportunities and Challenges,” was hosted by the Earth Institute, Columbia University, in partnership with the UN Division for Sustainable Development (UN DSD) and the Asian Development Bank Institute, from 8-10 May 2011. [Christiana Figueres’ Statement] [Conference Website]