Green to Blue EconomyGreen to Blue Economy

Nature’s Role in the Green/Blue EconomyPacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation - 14th Annual Meeting

Jan SteffenIUCN Oceania Office

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IUCN’s Medium-Term Programme

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What do we mean when Economies are ‘Green’ ?

“Industries that provide products or services related to renewable energy, increased energy efficiency, clean transportation and fuels, agriculture and natural resource conservation, and pollution prevention or environmental cleanup.” (Green Jobs Report)

“A green economy generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.” (Pew Charitable Trusts)

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A green economy is one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities (UNEP 2010)

UNEP’s Definition(s)

A system of economic activities related to the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services that result in improved human well- being over the long term, while not exposing future generations to significant environmental risks and ecological scarcities (UNEP 2007)

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Widening the term ?

A green economy loosely defined is any theory of economics by which an economy is considered to be component of the ecosystem in which it resides (after Lynn Margulis)

A resilient economy that provides a better quality of life for all within the ecological limits of one planet. (IUCN / Green Economy Coalition)

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Green Economy - 6 Main Sectors

Renewable Energy

• Solar Energy• Wind Energy• Geothermal Energy• Wave Energy• Bio-Gas & Fuel Cells

Green Buildings

• Residential & Commercial Assessment

• Energy Efficiency Retrofits• Water Efficiency Retrofits• Green Products & Materials• LEED Construction

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Green Economy - 6 Main Sectors

Clean Transportation

• Fuels of the Future• Electric & Hybrid Cars• PEV's (personal electronic

vehicles)• Public Transportation• Rideshare & Flex Programs• Energy-efficient shipping

Water Management

• Water Recycling• Grey & Rainwater Systems• Low-water Landscaping• Water Purification• Stormwater Planning

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Green Economy - 6 Main Sectors

Waste Management

• Recycling & Municipal Waste

• Salvage - 2nd Hand• Toxics Remediation• Brownfield Cleanup• Sustainable Products -

Packaging

Natural Resource Management

• Organic Agriculture• Low-impact Aquaculture• Habitat Conservation/Restoration• Urban Forestry & Parks• Reforestation & Afforestation• Sustainable Fisheries• Soil Stabilization

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Green Economy - Associated Industries

BiofuelsBiomassCarbon capture and storageCarbon markets and renewable energy creditsClimate change adaptation servicesDistributed generationEcosystem servicesEnergy efficiency, recycling, conservation, software and controlsEnergy storage, batteries and fuel cellsGeothermal energyGreen ITGreen buildings, materials and construction products

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Green transportation technologies and green vehiclesHydropowerNatural gasOcean powerREDDSmart gridSolar energySustainable and organic agriculture, food and productsWaste managementWastewater managementWaste-to-energyWater and water technologiesWind energy

Green Economy - Associated Industries II

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Greening the Economy ...

• Mining Sector • Tourism Sector• Health Service Sector• ...

... any economy

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Building resilience• Food, water, and energy security• Climate change adaptation• Natural infrastructure and ecological/

landscape restoration• Watershed management• Disaster risk reduction

IUCN: Placing Nature at the Centre of a Green Economy

Improving governance of natural resources

• Locally-controlled ecosystem management and stewardship

• Gender-sensitive approaches• Empowerment and multi-stakeholder

processes• Corporate accountability

Mainstreaming ecosystem values• Eco-enterprises and markets for ecosystem goods (eco-tourism,

sustainable forestry and agriculture, NTFPs, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals)

• Markets for ecosystem services (REDD+, watershed funds, biodiversity offsets, IPES)

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Turning the Green Economy into a Blue Economy...

• Initially project to find 100 of the best nature-inspired technologies that could affect the economies of the world

• 2,231 peer review articles : 340 innovations

• ‘Green Economy 2.0’ became ‘Blue Economy’

• Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives (ZERI) founded in 1994

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Principles of The Blue Economy

• Substitute something with Nothing – question any resource regarding its necessity for production.

• Natural systems cascade nutrients, matter and energy – waste does not exist. Any by-product is the source for a new product.

• Nature provides room for entrepreneurs who do more with less. Nature is contrary to monopolization.

• Nature only works with what is locally available. Sustainable business evolves with respect not only for local resources, but also for culture and tradition.

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A Different Use of the Term: ‘The Pacific Blue Economy’

“The Pacific Small Island Developing States represented at the United Nations (Pacific SIDS) are promoting the"Blue Economy"as part of the preparations for the Rio plus 20 Conference.”

“The sustainable development of our island countries relies on the health and vitality of the marine environment. For the Pacific SIDS, the "green economy" is in fact a "blue economy.”

(Marlene Moses, Ambassador to the UN, Permanent Representative, Chair Pacific Small Island Developing States)

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Key Priorities for Pacific SIDS

“Oceans should feature prominently on the agenda for Rio+20.”

• Increasing the share of benefits that Pacific SIDS receive from the use of their marine living resources

• Reducing overfishing beyond maximum sustainable yields, destructive fishing practices, and illegal, unreported and unregUlated fishing

• Building the resilience of marine ecosystems, and coral reefs in particular, to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification

(Pacific SIDS contribution at 12th UNICPOLOS Meeting)

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Draft Options Paper - Delivering on the "Blue Economy" at Rio plus 20

• Implement MPA networks to protect marine biodiversity and fish stocks.

• Improve the economic return of SIDS from fisheries agreements by making public the details of existing and future fisheries agreements.

• Increase support and cooperation for monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) of high seas (as well as EEZ) fisheries.

• Implement innovative and effective surveillance and monitoring schemes, especially within marine protected areas (MPAs), for maritime activities, including fisheries.

• Remove "perverse" (i.e. environmentally harmful) maritime subsidies, particularly vessel and fuel subsidies that encourage distant water fishing.

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“A green economy generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.” (Pew Charitable Trusts)

Nature’s Role in the Green/Blue Economy

The Blue Economy permits to respond to the basic needs of all with what we have. As such, it stands for a new way of designing business: using the resources available in cascading systems, where the waste of one product becomes the input to create a new cash flow.

A resilient economy that provides a better quality of life for all within the ecological limits of one planet. (IUCN / Green Economy Coalition)

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Vinaka VakalevuVinaka Vakalevu

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