Transition to a Green Economy: Benefits, Challenges and Risks from a Sustainable Development Perspective

This report supports the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, where one of the themes will be green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. It is authored by a panel of independent experts who examined a number of public policy options, including macroeconomic, technology, industrial and trade policies, as well as the role of the international community for promoting a widespread and equitable pursuit of a green economy transition, particularly for developing countries. By taking a structuralist approach, the authors underline that the transition to a green economy involves no less than a technological transformation, with deep impacts on production structures as well as on consumption patterns.