GREEN ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY
Green Economy
A Green Economy is an alternative vision for development, growth, improvements, and changes in people’s lives through sustaining and advancing economic, environmental, and social well being along with sustainable development. Green Economy was first coined in a report “Blueprint for a Green Economy” written by a group of environmental economists in 1989. However, there was no clear definition of what this “green economy” really means in this report. As a response to the economic downturn in the world markets, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revived it in 2008. UNEP launched its Green Economy Initiative in October 2008 which aim was to promote a package that would help countries recovery from the poor economy in a sustainable way.
In March 2010, the General Assembly 18 of the United Nations concurred that the green economy with regards to sustainable development and poverty destruction would shape a subject of the Rio Earth Summit. This carried the Green Economy idea to the worldwide stage. The Green Economy is still a lot of a bantered upon the subject. The way that there is no reasonable internationally agreed-upon definition for it shows that it is as yet another idea that not every person is anxious to take on. It is a low carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive which results in strides human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.
The concept of a green economy is ideal in creating sustainable development as it doesn’t offer a response on how this will be done essentially. It presumes that all nations will take it up in what must be portrayed as an idealist perspective. A significant number of worldwide environmental challenges can be highlighted to the western world and their smoke emitting factories. Unfortunately, the nations feeling the brunt of these environmental changes are those in the fringe south. These nations are likewise at the bottom of the economic chain. Some of these nations have contended that the Green Economy is north driven and means to stifle the economic growth of these creating nations.
Environmental Diplomacy
Environmental diplomacy is an effective tool, a strong procedure that addresses issues and an action related to environmental security, and includes a wide range of actors and a reliable procedure for synergy, regional and international cooperation aimed at strengthening and sustaining the protection of the ecosphere and the joint human legacy. The environment is borderless and the issues continue to be addressed at a multilateral level. Regional and international productive cooperation is the most strategic and best procedure to ensure the political, financial, and security intrigues which take on a progressively bona fide structure. In this specific situation, concern for environmental security with a view to environmental diplomacy is the most important movement in international arenas and relations. Sustainability of development and sustained development on the way to development and undeniable protection of the environment and characteristic assets are planned to secure the basic human legacy. While in transit to internationalization or globalization, development possesses an exceptional spot. This strength is significant in that it conveys along with the sustainability feature. Reference to the reality appears to be vital that unsustainable development would disturb the globalization procedure driving the world to a void of emergency. The environmental emergencies and risks, climatic changes, have the present reality in their grips. Therefore, a sustainable environment and globalization go connected.
In the international arena, there is no other alternative than peaceful intuition. Environmental diplomacy is influenced by international and global diplomacy and subject to the character and form of the rule. In this context, to realize the environmental diplomacy, accentuation is on security and environmental frameworks with a view to bond-based indices on the axes of diplomacy and Environment. International cooperation has continuously made a difference fathom numerous of the international issues such as environmental hazards that call for specific mechanisms to work successfully. This can be not to say that without regional synergy and international cooperation, environmental diplomacy would come up short.
SOME CHALLENGES
The Green Economy not just thinks about nature and the economy as the main central point of development. It likewise envelops the general public, as they are the key to ensuring that the environment is protected while simultaneously gain economically from these efforts. The result report suitably named “The future we want” from the Rio+20 meeting perceived the Green Economy as a significant apparatus for accomplishing a feasible turn of events. It expresses that the Green Economy “ought to add to killing destitution just as continued financial development, upgrading social incorporation, improving human government assistance and making open doors for business and better than average work for all while keeping up the solid working of the world’s biological systems.”
The green economy is a profoundly ambitious however truly sensible idea that can promote talks among the different countries. Because of the counterfeit outskirts drawn up during the different conquests, crusades, and colonization, many of the issues that some countries may face may not be comprehended by those that might not have the same ecological flora and fauna however the UNEP platform allows these nations to be heard as a natural issue is a shared issue.
For example, African countries have unique wildlife in the world. Many of the African countries are facing huge problems of illegal trade of wildlife and the poachers are killing elephants and rhinos for horns. On the other side, many countries which do not have such wildlife may not understand this problem. However, the environment is a mutually owned resource. Every individual is responsible and has a stake in the environment. Anything that happens in one part of the world affects the other part as well.
Despite various international dialogues, world summits, as well as researches this has not brought about a solid answer for the negative ecological and social difficulties, shown by the environmental change issue. In many ways, the Green Economy is an endeavor to address the “dysfunctional” advertise that exists which has prompted unreasonable results on the earth just as society’s prosperity. This is because nations exploit others in the expectation of remaining ahead in the economic race. The Green Economy is a proposal for an alternative method of working together. However, how the Green Economy has been introduced leaves plenty of inquiries than answers.
The Green Economy creates a challenge as the inability of this concept in addressing a problem of growth. To some extent, some of the natural resources are depleted and some species of plants and animals have extinct in the past three decades. This is the huge challenges that need to be worked. Debates are going on to promote sustainability and to find concrete solutions to cope with environmental challenges. It takes a while before environmental damage is seen and it takes a long time to restore. Therefore, it is important to do everything very soon. Another challenge the Green Economy is facing Is weak regulatory frameworks. Tough rules and regulations should be made for those who go against the agreements. Regulatory frameworks should provide equal responsibility to drive the economy in the same direction and save the planet. Also, the budget is already a challenge for most of the developing countries for transitioning to the Green Economy. How countries will pursue the green industrial policy and steer their economies toward competitive advantage in producing new green goods and services will be an important factor that will affect implementation in the long run? This question needs to be answered.
Another challenge the Green Economy is facing Is weak regulatory frameworks. Tough rules and regulations should be made for those who go against the agreements. Regulatory frameworks should provide equal responsibility to drive the economy in the same direction and save the planet. Also, the budget is already a challenge for most of the developing countries for transitioning to the Green Economy. How countries will pursue the green industrial policy and steer their economies toward competitive advantage in producing new green goods and services will be an important factor that will affect implementation in the long run? This question needs to be answered.
CONCLUSIONS
The Green Economy is certainly not a poorly conceived notion. It shows the equalization that the economy, society, and environment have with one another. This is a reality that many know however never genuinely comprehend.
The Green Economy is an incredible beginning to changing how we think and get things done however there is a concern that the Green Economy is simply one more prevailing fashion that the West has concocted for another Green Movement. There are incredible chances to be investigated with the Green Economy worldview in any case; there are a lot more wrinkles that should be turned out to be first. In what capacity will production and proficiency answer the topic of wealth distribution, value and uniformity, and decrease of destitution? How does the Green Economy intend to work together with traditional ideas that as of now exist that are “green” however simply didn’t have a name to it? These are nevertheless a couple of inquiries that the Green Economy needs to concentrate on answering.
The Green Economy has been proposed by some as an admonition in tackling the world’s issues with one solution. This is a practically impossible task as different states face different difficulties particularly with regards to the environment. The Monsoon rains are not something that South American nations can relate too nor are earthquakes a challenge in Africa. These distinctions are found in the environmental area as well as thinking about the economic capabilities of these nations. In this way having a one-size-fits-all methodology isn’t the most ideal approach to promoting growth and economic stability.
The Green Economy in its relation to encouraging more talks on the environment is a welcomed idea, especially in environmental diplomacy. As we have spent most of our natural resources and keep on doing as such in the passing days, sustainability and environmental protection is our solitary opportunity to save what is left of the planet. We can’t keep on standing around and watch the obliteration of the timberlands, oceans, and biodiversity vanish step by step. With the environmental crisis being faced by many states, many have realized that dialogue is key in finding durable solutions so that the future does not pay for our mistakes. It is in this way our duty as an individual to lead the conversation on the environment, if not for us then for the future generations to come. For the mutual survival of both, we need to respect the environment. Without it, humanity as we know it can cease to exist. It’s high time we should understand we are one with our environment.
— SASEENA PARAJULI
Read Also: Climate Change: A Focus of Sagarmatha Dialogue
