The Principles of a Green Economy:

Initial results of a global consultation 25 May 2012

Introduction
Over the last five months the Green Economy Coalition has supported a global consultation on the principles of a green economy. Over 250 organisations and individuals from around the world have now contributed to the drafting process. The following document provides an overview of the consultation process and a summary of the feedback. It clarifies how we will continue this work and use its outcomes at Rio 2012 and beyond. For more information, contact the Green Economy Coalition: oliver.greenfield@greeneconomycoalition.org / emily.benson@greeneconomycoalition.org

Process timeline
19 February: Major Groups and stakeholders attended UNEP Governing Council to discuss What is a Green Economy? During a multi-stakeholder workshop participants drafted an initial draft set of principles which was then widely circulated. That draft was later reworked with additional inputs from other relevant processes including: o o o o o o o ANPED - Green Economy Principles workshop ICC - Ten conditions for green economy Bioregional/Stakeholder Forum - Principles for a Green Economy ITUC - 10 principles for a green economy New Economy Network Principles for a new economy Earth Charter Initiative Principles and values for sustainable development Financial Stability Board - Key Standards for Sound Financial Systems

28 February: Building on the momentum, the Green Economy Coalition organised an online consultation to engage global stakeholders. 18 19 March: Initial findings from the online consultation were presented at the Global Transition Dialogue in New York before the UNCSD March in-formals and shared widely with participants attending the meeting. 25 March: Spanish and Portuguese versions of the consultation also went online and links were distributed across global networks. 18 May: Consultation feedback was collated and analysed by the Green Economy Coalition. The Principles were redrafted accordingly. 24 May: Revised principles were circulated around networks.

Profile of respondents

Over 250 people from different organisations have contributed their thoughts, feedback and changes. The consultation is still open and is also now running in Portuguese and Spanish to increase input from Latin America.

The consultation was open to anyone but responses have largely been from NGOs and think tanks.

96% of respondents wish to remain involved/informed with the process. An initial 66% indicated they would like to be associated with it.

2
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Summary of top findings

1. The draft principles were well received and respondents were pleased with the comprehensive coverage of the many different issues at stake. Respondents emphasised that the principles were a useful tool for understanding a green economy. 2. Some of the most popular feedback points focused on; Green economy is just one tool for achieving sustainable development; Equity must be the goal of a green economy; A green economy must be informed by science and research; Principles need to be more explicit that a green economy requires changing bad practices as well as adopting good practices 3. Some of the most important concerns included: That the language of the principles was too aspirational not easily implementable; That some of the principles contradicted each other; That the Principles were too extensive and should be shortened. Over the next pages, 3-18 we summaries the major points of feedback for each principle and a section on additional comments.

Next steps
In order to take the principles to the next stage, the Green Economy Coalition will Table the revised Principles document V3 in the next negotiating round for Rio 2012 text. Include the latest draft principles in our publications for Rio, and ensure that they are widely distributed to governments and decision makers. Host a side event at Rio focused on how to move from principle to implementation in which we will hear from business, government, finance and civil society leaders. Identify ways in which to move principles into the many national dialogue processes on a green economy happening within and beyond the Coalition.

3
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 1

58, 33%

Replied Blank 118, 67%

Original text A green economy delivers sustainable development - It is a vehicle to deliver sustainable development not a replacement - It addresses all three pillars (environmental, social and economic) and develops policy mixes that seek the best results across all of them - It integrates the cultural and ethical dimension across the three pillars

Incorporating some of the suggestions A fair and green economy is a means to deliver/ contributes tos sustainable developmentsustainability the Green Leadership Principle/ the Sustainable Principle - It is one of thea vehicles/ tools to deliver sustainable development not a replacement for it. It nests the economy 1 within society and the environment and not the reverse . - It addresses all three pillars dimensions (environmental, social and economic) and develops policy mixes that integrate and seek the best results across all of them - It integrates the cultural and ethical dimension across the three pillars

Headlines Criticism of three pillars putting economy, society and environment as equal, or putting economy first, doesnt work. Also produces silos, should be promoting a dynamic concept th 4 pillar suggestions Governance/policy aspect, including legal and institutional reform; health or healthier environment; finance; national/culture interpretation of all pillars Lose delivers implies that GE is a SD provider. Strong message that GE is one of the vehicles. Suggestion made under Principle 8 to incorporate with this one, and comments that this is redundant as a principle, with the rest of the principles covering this already Suggestions for use of sustainability rather than SD. Lots of comments around woolly language and not being clear about definitions (SD and GE), and that this is not a principle, but a stab at a definition Mixed responses to use of cultural and ethical, e.g. how does one integrate cultural dimensions across the environmental pillar? Isnt culture the inner aspect of society? I wouldnt call ethics a dimension. Several suggestions to leave til later principle, e.g. intergenerational equity principle or Justice Principle

7, 6%

2, 2%

7, 6% 19, 16%
(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes

34, 29%

48, 41%

(2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree Unclear

From GEC Shared Analysis

4
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 2
Original text A green economy delivers equity - The Justice Principle It delivers equity between and within countries and between generations It respects human rights and cultural diversity It promotes gender equality - It respects indigenous peoples rights to lands, territories and resources

78, 44%

Replied 98, 56% Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy supports delivers equity - The Justice Principle It delivers guarantees/ supports equity between and within countries and between generations It respects human rights and cultural diversity It promotes gender equality and recognises knowledge, skills, experience and contribution of each individual It respects indigenous peoples rights to lands, territories and resources

Headlines Transition to equity and GE will create winners and losers in the short and medium term, and sacrifice for some how do we deal with opposing forces? Hard sell, but needs to be sold in a way that benefits stakeholders Many comments on need to better define/ clarify equity what kind of equity? Distributional? Similarly justice there are many forms of social justice which do we mean? Issue of recognising both historical and corporate responsibility needs to be incorporated Financial/ monetary justice Include interspecies equity, biodiversity and defending the global commons Indigenous here is meaningless political correctness Transition to equity is trickier and will take longer than greening Include and define access to justice Criticism of gender equality here: Criticism of word respect passive concept. Similarly promotes and delivers verbs need to be sharper and more consistent GENERAL COMMENT ON ALL PRINCIPLES: We should be more explicit that this means dropping current, bad, practices; and transparency to hold the (politically and financially) powerful and elite to account

12, 12% 1, 1% 8, 8% 14, 15%

25, 26%
(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree Unclear

37, 38%

5
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 3
Original text A green economy creates genuine prosperity and wellbeing for all - The Dignity Principle It eradicates poverty It transforms traditional jobs and actively develops new, decent green jobs It helps build capacity and skills It delivers the Human Development Indicators It provides universal access to basic health, education, sanitation, and other essential services It respects the rights of workers and trade unions and delivers a just transition It support the right to development - It supports sustainable, diverse economies and local livelihoods

Replied 79, 45% 97, 55% Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy creates genuine prosperity and wellbeing for all - The Dignity Principle It eradicates alleviates poverty It transforms traditional jobs and actively develops new, decent green jobs, and creates the conditions for/ achieves a just transition. It acknowledges the contribution of unpaid work (the love economy) It helps build capacity and skills It delivers a high level of human development in all countries, which can be measured through a variety of indicators It delivers the Human Development Indicators It provides food security and universal access to basic health, education, sanitation, water, energy and other essential services It respects the rights of workers and trade unions and delivers a just transition promotes sustainable development enterprise. It support the right to development if delivered in a sustainable way It supports sustainable, diverse economies and local livelihoods

Headlines CLARIFICATIONS: What is a green job? What is a decent green job clarity/ definition needed. Similarly traditional jobs CHANGE: A number of respondents had problems with use of HDIs, and also questioned how you can deliver an indicator GENERAL: Should make more explicit that GE is a process/way of thinking, not a small green-tech subsector GENERAL: Couple of people brought up economic growth throughout responses it has popped up IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS: Universal Social Protection Floor ADDITION: A dignity principle should include freedom of choice and human rights/ right to live with dignity and respect OTHER, OF INTEREST: There are regions of countries like Argentina where small firms are starting to act like this instinctively. ADDITION/ IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS: Include disabled and other minority groups; respect also employee shareownership, coops and community business ownership, and the self employed. OTHER, OF INTEREST: Change of consumption patterns and urban to rural transformation of environmental use.

16, 17% 2, 2% 6, 6% 10, 10%

19, 20%
(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree Unclear

43, 45%
6
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 4
Original text A green economy improves the natural world - The Planetary Boundaries, Earth Integrity and Precautionary Principle It recognises ecological boundaries and seeks to operate within them It delivers environmental justice It respects the precautionary principle It assesses of the potential impact of new and untested technologies before they are released It demonstrates the benefit for the environment through indicators It ensures an optimum and wise use of natural resources It safeguards biodiversity loss and prevents pollution - It promotes the restoration of balance in ecological and social relations

76, 43% 100, 57%

Replied Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green and fair economy restores lost biodiversity and reinforces/ strengthens natural systems that support life, and rehabilitates those that are degraded/ stewards the natural world improves the natural world - The Planetary Boundaries, Earth Integrity/Healthy Earth and Precautionary Principles It does not violate, disrupt, or oversteprecognises ecological boundaries and seeks commits to co-operate within them, including safeguarding ecosystems, biodiversity integrity, other natural resources including air, water, soil, and biogeochemical cycles It supports the respect of all forms of life It delivers environmental justice It respects the precautionary principle It assesses of the potential impact of new and untested technologies and innovations before they are released It demonstrates the benefit for the environment through indicators It ensures an optimum efficient and wise use of natural resources, including water, natural gas, oil and mineral resources, without compromising future generations prospects It safeguards against biodiversity loss and prevents pollution It promotes the restoration of balance in ecological and social relations It ensures that environmental integrity is maintained before allocating resources among competing uses It recognizes the productivity of ecosystems and 2 biodiversity

Headlines CHANGE: Indicators - yes we need some objective measures to assess progress towards objectives, adapt interventions etc but we need to limit bureaucracy & moderate unequal technocratic & political control by individual nations & stakeholder groups. CHANGE: "Delivering environmental justice" is a too complex term that should be changed for either "It supports the respect of all forms of life" or if it refers to human justice, it is covered by the above principles of equity, fairness, etc. Respecting ecological balance and boundaries is not the same thing as delivering justice, which is a human-applied concept. It contributes to reduce risk and vulnerability to natural phenomena, as hazardous elements of nature. It ensures land-use and other sectorial planning that is based on ecosystems and natural hazards, and ensures vulnerability and risk reduction. CHANGE: It demonstrates the benefit for the environment through indicators benefits of what? Evaluation of what? CHANGE: A lot of criticism of improves, restores and seeks CHANGE: need to link this principle more explicitly to both equity and consumption CHANGE: Precautionary principle is not always positive for GE can prevent R&D and innovation CHANGE: Achieving many of these is in conflict with the Dignity Principle ADDITION: Human and natural systems are one and the same we must become linked within our processes, business and otherwise. A built in requirement that baselines the value of common ground. ADDITION: The Natural Step's sustainability principles: In a green economy, nature is not subject to systematically increasing: 1. concentrations of substances extracted from the earth's crust; 2. concentrations of substances produced by

TEEB

7
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

society; 3. degradation by physical means 4. and, in that economy, people are not subject to conditions that systemically undermine their capacity to meet their needs ADDITION: Animal rights, labelling, certification ADDITION: several mentions of GE as a circular economy (covered under Principle 8?) ADDITION: Law/ environmental justice through international court. Point on global commons certain global goods have to be managed on a global benefits basis, in international law and relations. ADDITION: Examples of sectors energy, buildings, transport, water, waste management and land management CRITICISM: language is woolly main way that boundaries will be recognised is by price correction, not indicators or capping IMPLEMENTATION: incorporating ecological balances of climate debts and credits into a new balance of payments system

14, 14% 1, 1% 5, 5%

29, 30%

(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change

23, 23% 27, 27%

(1) Totally disagree Unclear

8
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 5
Original text A green economy is inclusive and participatory in decision making - The Inclusion Principle It is based on transparency and the visibility of all stakeholders It supports governance at all levels from global to local It empowers citizensand promotes full and effective participation at all levels It fosters cultural values and is sensitive to ethical considerations It build societal awareness, developing education and skills - It is inclusive and participatory, giving opportunities to youth, women, poor and low skilled workers, indigenous peoples and local communities

Replied 85, 48% 91, 52% Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy is inclusive and participatory in decision making - The Inclusion Principle It is based on transparency, sound science and the visibileity engagement of all relevant stakeholders It supports good governance at all levels from local global to global local It empowers citizens and promotes full and effective voluntary participation at all levels It fosters respects cultural values and , is tolerant to religious views and lifestyle choices, and sensitive to ethical considerations It build societal awareness, developing education and skills It is transparent, inclusive and participatory, giving equal opportunities to, and advocating further for the rights of, youthyoung and old, women and men, poor and low skilled workers, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and local communities OR It is inclusive and participatory, giving opportunities to all
social classes

Headlines ADDITION: It involves local communities in protection and conservation of their environment ADDITION: put here, instead of in Principle 4: It promotes the restoration of balance in ecological and social relations ADDITION: GE values spaces of collaboration, innovation and deliberation ADDITION: Inclusion/ participation must be informed and freeriding penalised ADDITION: Recognises local knowledge CRITICISM: couple of people said that this is social not economic policy trying to buy veg in a butchers CRITICISM: This duplicated Justice and Dignity principles CRITICISM: governance at local level often in direct conflict with governance at higher levels IMPLEMENTATION: rule of Law must be strengthened; how does this apply to finance sector IMPLEMENTATION: new models of leadership and 'leading by convening' rather than old style top down hierarchical models IMPLEMENTATION: Changes in structures of governance government, corporations, universities and unions

12, 13% 2, 2% 4, 4%

24, 27%
(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change

16, 18%

(1) Totally disagree Unclear

32, 36%
9
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 6
86, 49% Original text A green economy is accountable - The Governance Principle It governs markets in consultation with all stakeholders It promotes the development of standards to measure progress It promotes international cooperation and defines International liability It promotes democracy - It commits to international human rights standards and environmental agreements 90, 51%

Replied Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy is accountable - The Good Governance Principle/ The Principle of Accountability It governs provides a framework to structure markets and production in consultation with all stakeholders It promotes the development of scientifically-based standards to measure sustainable progress It promotes international cooperation and defines International liability It promotes equal consideration of environmental, social and economic parameters in national and multilateral policy-makingdemocracy It promotes global policy coherence and fair international cooperation It commits to international human rights standards and environmental agreements

Headlines ADDITION: Subsidies ADDITION: It promotes transparent and documented reporting ADDITION: it promotes equity in access to and sharing of benefits from decision-making CRITICISM: What does progress mean? Need more detail on these standards ADDITION: Lots of mentions of M&E: Stringent M&E in conjunction with civil society; reporting mechanisms and obligations ADDITION: standards and labelling ADDITION: Process for information dissemination and informed stakeholders ADDITION: GE should be accountable to three core constituencies of sustainability - environmental, social and economic ADDITION: It provides full accounting for external costs and common accounting principles ADDITION: It seeks to rectify the disproportionate influence that the interests of international finance and large companies CHANGE: Lots mentioned that economy doesnt govern markets policy, law, incentives by nations/ groups of nations do CHANGE: China is amongst the world's leaders in many areas related to the implementation of green economy principles, without being a democracy needs to take different political systems into account CHANGE: Use citizens not stakeholders corporations are not democratic CRITICISM: Accountability and governance are two important and separate issues CRITICISM: Markets are good for allocating scarce resources in the short term, and were never intended to achieve fairness, justice and protection of grandchildren. These latter are the job of governance, and should be recognized as separate and superior to the operation of the market IMPLEMENTATION: alignment of accountability between governments, non-gov orgs and private sector can deliver here IMPLEMENTATION: green criminology and appropriate responses

13, 15% 0, 0% 10, 11%

15, 17%
(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree

17, 19%

34, 38%

Unclear

10
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 7
96, 55% Original text A green economy builds economic, social and environmental resilience - The Resilience Principle It supports the development of social and environmental protection systems It promotes systems approaches,recognising the interdependence and integrated nature of these three systems,underpinned by culture and ethical values It creates resilience by supporting many green economy models relevant to different cultural, social and environmental contexts It considers indigenous local knowledge and promotes diverse knowledge systems It builds local skills and capacities

80, 45%

Replied Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy builds contributes to economic, social and environmental resilience - The Resilience Principle It supports the development of social and environmental protection systems, and preparedness against and adaptation for climate extreme events and disasters It promotes systems approaches, recognising the interdependence and integrated nature of these three systems, underpinned by culture and ethical values It creates resilience by supporting many a variety of green economy models relevant to different cultural, social and environmental contexts It considers indigenous local knowledge and promotes the sharing of diverse knowledge systems It builds on local skills and capacities and develops these further It creates a universal social protection floor.

Headlines ADDITION: It promotes the development of strong and resilient self-organizing local economies. It supports economic development ADDITION: Lots of people: climate extreme events and disasters, also adaptation concept ADDITION: Measured by new indicators like wellbeing, not GDP ADDITION: Supports local infrastructure and institutions CHANGE: The word protection is quite loaded - could this not just be 'resilience'? CHANGE: Be more explicit: making decisions which apply for the long term CRITICISM: Resilience is a double-edged sword finance sector is resilient! GENERAL: Should take a systems approach to methodology in defining SD OTHER OF INTEREST: resilience and efficiency are often in opposition OTHER OF INTEREST: local economies that are resilient Mondagon and Emilia-Romagna what are they doing right?

15, 19%

1, 1% 2, 3%
7, 9%

(5) Perfect

31, 39%

(4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree Unclear

23, 29%

11
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 8
Original text A green economy delivers sustainable consumption and production - The Efficiency Principle It ensures prices reflect true costs incorporating social and environmental externalities It implements the polluter pays principle It supports life-cycle management It strives for zero emission and zero waste It prioritises renewable energy and renewable resources It seeks absolute decoupling production and consumption from negative social and environmental impact It delivers sustainable lifestyles It promotes social, economic and environmental innovation It promotes resource efficiency It gives access to intellectual property rights

75, 43% 101, 57%

Replied Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy delivers sustainable consumption and production - The Efficiency and Sufficiency Principle It seeks to ensures prices reflect true costs incorporating social and environmental externalities It implements the polluter pays principle It supports life-cycle management It strives for zero emission and zero waste It supports optimal water use It prioritises renewable energy and renewable resources It seeks absolute decoupling of production and consumption from negative social and environmental impact It recognizes that human populations on this planet cannot continue growing indefinitely , thus it focuses on self-empowerment and education of women It delivers sustainable lifestyles, and a major cultural transformation, changing how and how much we produce, consume and generate waste It promotes social, economic and environmental innovation It promotes resource efficiency It gives fair rights to access to intellectual property rights within a global legal framework

Headlines 3 ADDITION: materials is not just about efficiency E&S Principle or we lose absolute decoupling/ sufficiency dialogue CHANGE: Lots of comments on IPR: access is one thing - use and profit are another; developers & holders of environmentally beneficial IP should enjoy appropriate protection for & returns from their IP, but this IP should not be withheld from those countries & communities that need it most for reasons of cost or control. Lessons to be learnt from the 4 pharmaceutical sector: an overly strict global regime in green techn could have similarly severe effects. Equity access to IPR ADDITION: It acknowledges the limits and risks of pricing ADDITION: management and transparency and accountability along the entirety of the supply chain ADDITION: It promotes benefit sharing over the exploitation of natural resources ADDITION: It considers the need to evolve/ evaluate our lifestyles in order to fight overconsumption. OTHER OF INTEREST: SCP is the next step towards sustainable development after a green economy is achieved. IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS: Radically increase the productivity with which all resources are used, including energy, water, materials and people. | Redesign all products and processes for sustainability | Effective Sustainable Management enables companies and communities to enhance core business value and reinforce competitive advantage | CRITICISM: Concepts laden with potential and real conflicts: historically, greater energy and material efficiency has meant lower prices and higher wages/salaries, so consumption increases; zero waste/ emissions is a thermodynamic impossibility

2, 2% 11, 11% 7, 7% 23, 23%

21, 21%

(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree

36, 36%
3 4

Unclear

Vanessa Timmer from One Earth

O: See progressive Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang

12
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Principle 9
93, 53% Original text A green economy invests for the future - The Intergenerational Principle It ensures the finance sector supports the delivery of diverse sustainable green economies It promotes long-term decision making above the short term It regulates the finance sector, constrains speculation and supports the real economy

Replied 83, 47% Blank

Incorporating some of the suggestions A green economy invests for the present and the future - The Intragenerational and Intergenerational Principle/ OR The Investment Principle It ensures influences the finance sector to supports the delivery creation of diverse, sustainable green economies It promotes prioritises long-term, scientifically-sound decision making above the short term It promotes equitable education at all levels and environmental education for children It regulates the finance sector, constrains speculation and supports the real economy

Headlines IMPLEMENTATION: Define long term as a minimum of beyond at least one generation ADDITION: Lots of people intra- as well as inter-gen. Strong idea is investment. Intergen doesnt adequately capture CRITICISM: Seems quite negative compared to the others reframe - it promotes long term investments and financial products that support the delivery of diverse sustainable green economies CRITICISM: Why highlight finance over oil and gas sectors? LOTS of criticism for just using financial sector. The responsibility for ensuring inter-generational equity goes far broader than the finance sector. Policy-makers, civil soc, & private sector, public and private finance sectors. CRITICISM: define real economy several people ADDITION: MANY PEOPLE: Education from childhood; concrete policy for youth. There are more aspects of intergen justice than to do with the economy. Related: It promotes universal access to information and capacity-building in ICTs IMPLEMENTATION: Restructure global financial system as a credit-based system ADDITION: Deal with concept of discounting ADDITION: Financial systems, environmental resources and ecosystems must be carefully managed and safeguarded to enhance the value of environmental assets for future generations, thereby equitably meeting their needs and allowing them to flourish. It supports research, science and technology in developing countries IMPLEMENTATION: global financial markets are incapable of promoting long term good over short term profit. Changing this will require a complete redefinition of the global economy. Increased regulation is the most meaningful first step. It promotes conservation of resources and the quality of life over the long term It promotes policies seeking the welfare of future generations - It negates disruptive activities that generate welfare in the short term, but that will severely impact on the environment and society of the future IMPLEMENTATION: It reserves resources for future generations. It establishes endowments to help address future costs such as the ongoing care of nuclear waste.

15, 18% 2, 3% 5, 6% 10, 12%

21, 26%

(5) Perfect (4) Ok, but (3) Here are some changes (2) A lot needs to change (1) Totally disagree Unclear

29, 35%
13
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

QUESTION 10:
Now that you have read through the nine draft principles of a green economy, is there anything else you would like to add or share to inform this discussion? Responses: 103 Skipped question: 90 No further comments and/or generally positive: 17 HEADLINES SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER PRINCIPLES One principle missing: transparency (openly show numbers) It promotes the principle of Common But Differentiated responsibilities Tenth principle around effective, durable and enforceable regulation in the public interest. A green economy without an equitable, sustainable, and, therefore, stable global monetary system will not be effective: The 5 monetary principle . o a monetary standard other than the pure or flexible gold standard to be developed so that volatile exchange rates, currency manipulation and speculation and financial imbalances can be reduced; o adopting the SDR as the major reserve currency, as an intermediate step to the removal of the expensive global reserve system, when currencies have become convertible or a world currency has been adopted.

REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONS/ SUGGESTIONS OF WAYS TO STRENGTHEN Equity Risk of losing equity point - green and FAIR economy / rename GE an "equitable and sustainable economy" (lots of ppl) Science, technology, information, education Mention technology, science, innovation, fostering knowledge, capacity building, opportunity, creation of value (lots ppl) A GE must have Resource Use Energy Efficiency at its centre would help move away from vagueness of these Principles towards some clear physical laws. Over-politicising intergovernmental processes risks thinning out the substance. Involve scientists - physical and socioeconomic scientists - in the decision making, to give a legitimacy and robustness to the agreements. Information & communication technologies play critical role as a foundation for a GE - eg see habitat.igc.org/ie/ict4scf.htm Resilience is a key uniting goal, and purpose, More emphasis on GE as a tool to provide information about the "connection" between economy and ecology... informative indicators/measures that increase awareness and changes present discourse and thus consumption patterns. Education/ School programmes Ensures gender balance and future for the youth Under security, include food security and water Ethical/behavioural/ greed The green economy motivates people away from the greed and draws into a new model of development Mentioning some fundamental ethical aspects of the behaviour of the green economy. Add the All is One Principle: promotes reciprocity, partnership, care, compassion, reverence, love, mutual aid, stewardship, volunteerism, peace, and reconciliation toward all living beings.
5

The Declaration of Bonn DPI/NGO Conference, Sept 2011 asked governments to rethink the international monetary system to be based upon a carbon standard (line 265). A GE framework that does not give essential attention to the challenge of disruptive climate change will be ineffective; a carbon-based international monetary system would push nations to decarbonize to combat climate change, because the strength of their economies and currencies would depend on it.

14
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

Add the concept of "combating greed and excessive wealth accumulation", as a main source of conflicts, and highlight the 6 need to identify, understand and address the obstacles to the above goals, of which greed is, of course, a major one . Consumption/ production Mention sustainable consumption and production methods Ultimately a green economy should find another basis to the economic system than growth in consumption. It means also that we have to give up certain productivity principles; The rest (other additions) Governance: support decentralization, recognition of customary use of the land, strength of local governance mechanism Include explicit mention under some of the principles, that big corporations & the more powerful governments/ larger economies are key to the success of shifting to a green economy. More on finance: how to ensure our current economic model actually changes radically and not BAU? All principles: stringent M&E systems inclusive of local communities, particularly women. At some point in these principles, we need to move beyond preservation/ conservation and begin to promote regeneration. Evolution and ecology: key words when defining characteristics of future society, environment and economy Beyond GDP and measuring social progress? The principle title does not tell how the subsequent results are to be realised preconditions, boundary conditions, criteria or tools. Without this, these principles will be used as green washing. The green economy is about a transition and adjustment needed by the whole economy, not just growing specific niches, eg green and clean tech. The way the principles are framed as a set doesn't put this point over powerfully enough.

CRITICISM CONSTRUCTIVE Format: Lots of requests to condense/ abridge/ simplify o There's a lot of redundancy and nobody can remember 9 principles 7 max, preferably 3. Fold #8 into #1. o Boil down to 3: environmental, social, and economic. Plus cultural and ethical (might fit under social)? o Keep it simple, don't inflate it, keep it lean, efficient and effective. o Need editing and simplification (http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/ogp/2009_New_Sustainable_Frontier_Complete_Guide.pdf) o Should not be extended at the risk of diluting the concept. o Too many 'principles' - reduce the bullet points and present a more practical way of achieving the principles. The term "green economy" appears just to refer to environmental sustainability, so it seems to be stretching the language to use it to encompass gender equality, regulation for the financial sector etc. "Sustainable development" is broader and can more easily be understood to encompass all the principles outlined above. If GE is kept, re-write each as "xxx Principle: Within a green economy ..." eg 9. "The Intergenerational Principle: within a green economy investments are made for In the overall statement I dont like 'better quality of life'. Better than what? What is the baseline and if we all have a good quality of life why would we then want a better one (not sure you want a better quality of life for a billionaire US congressman - in the way they define it!). Weakness of language Sloppily written, e.g. P1 "There is only one planet." Many planets exist only one that we know of with life. The language will put off those who do not share an environmentalist/ socialist mind set, limiting the utility of the document. Include some conservative voices many share the same desired outcome and might help phrase things in ways that will be more attractive to others of their political viewpoint. Good start but as written they look rather weak to me and likely to justify weak sustainable consumption and production rather than a much stronger position. I'd like to see a much more robust set of principles that was structured around a significant critique of the operation of the anti-ecological global capitalist system.
6

However, important also to identify how greed facilitates development of other wrong production that are an obstacle to sustainable development, such as armament industry (and propose a transformation of such industry like it was done in the 60s in California when the arms industry there facilitated the development of the computer industry); the permissive drug consumption in rich societies that facilitates drug-based economies in poor countries; capital drain and brain drain, trade barriers, etc., etc.

15
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

The language is too soft and so will have no lasting influence. Virtuous but fluffy. Similar principles 40 years ago didn't lead to meaningful change. Change is about policies not principles. I worry that it reads as 100% soft, vague, liberal, principles, and will be written off as such. It lacks any teeth, or sense of actual connection to local businesses on the ground. The inclusionary process and negotiation of wording has produced wishy-washy 'open-to-interpretation' and therefore either empty or conflicting assertions and goals that ultimately undermine meaning and credibility. I like how the principles beyond 4 get into considering more practical considerations. It's very hard to disagree with any of them. It's only when you start to consider the implementation of these principles that people might begin to start having serious disagreements... get into the substance. Contradictions/ lack of clarity Many of these principles mix up the SD goal and the shorter term GE goals - don't really see the point of saying that a society has not reached a GE transition point because one or more of these principles has not been fulfilled. Some statements generate contradictions with others and with the broad concept of green economy. Before expounding principles, seek consensus on the essence of green economy itself. Mismatch between some named Principles and the ideas underneath them Overall, fails to formulate a clear definition of what the green economy actually is and does not adequately address the problems with the current economic system. Many of these problems are clearly articulated in Our Understanding of the Problem section of Why we need Green Economy : a Shared Analysis. Why has this level of critique of the current economic system not made it into the Principles? Without this, the green economy we end up with is at severe risk of being an economy that further entrenches our current economic, social and environmental problems. For example, many want to define this as an opportunity to expand the scope of the financial markets, allowing them access to common resources and exposing environmental assets to the fickle world of financial speculation. But the failure of carbon markets to reduce emissions and the impact of excessive commodity speculation on food prices show that financialisation does not incentivise the protection of our environment, but ties the global economy to the short term whims of the market, reducing the environment to its (artificially defined) economic value. Will the green economy mean that nature has to be valued in order to be protected? Should the green economy support the marketisation of nature and the environment? Or is the green economy about redefining the economic system so that it is based on social justice and recognition of environmental limits? These Principles contribute little to this debate and this is a missed opportunity that we hope you can rectify. Criticism of our approach/ the usefulness of principles For a green economy to succeed it has to be recognised by ordinary people as the way forward, not just a policy concept surrounded by all the above vested interests/ pious phrases. If it is presented as the Holy Grail then it will be elusive Our aim is to influence and change the course of the policy as usual not to take the power and build a new civilization. Principles here are more hopeful features. What are the operation principles (for how to achieve it) of an economy that provides well-being for all within the means of nature? For instance, focuses on wealth generation (net wealth per person goes up) rather than throughput maximization (high GDP, even if this comes at the cost of wealth liquidation). I find it hard to see how we can introduce these to the discussion between governments and the private sector on new green markets and green growth (where the main political discussions seem to be focused). How do we engage progressive business? How do we generate national discussions on the advantages of a green economy?

CRITICISM NOT PULLING PUNCHES Next time ask me first. This meeting clearly got off on a wildly esoteric tangent nothing to do with reality Your approach isnt beneficial to anyone, looks like a big mess of everything, another 'marketing' attempt that will contribute to reducing the credibility of a strong concept You seems to be way off the mark Nope. A waste of time.

16
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

IMPLEMENTATION We need "observatories" to monitor the future. These principles should be part of legally binding international economic/trade agreements Monitoring implementation needs an institution to check processes, evaluate progress and report. Local governments should give tax exemptions to GE projects, e.g. renewables, energy saving equipment, hybrid cars Who will steer the green economy? If these principles were included in a global document/ agreement, the How should be described clearly implementation, institutions and audit process. It won't work with just an open market of ideas: there needs to be an aspect of command and control or minimally taxation: realistically sin taxes on fossil energy, congestion charges in London, an anti military element etc... Otherwise it won't really be anything new just more neoliberalism fuelled by other energy sources... If principles contradict, then their implementation will be incoherent. How realistic are these principles are they linked to designed mechanisms that assure feasibility? Who will be responsible for a GE? Will there be a green social dimension, and a green environmental dimension? If we expect green economy to become a reality we must stop thinking of it as a magic wand which makes all this happen. GE does not happen overnight and it has to be build and developed continuously to become a real driver for sustainable development. Important that it will not just be industrial policy and green production it must come down to a level of single human being. Key players in green economy are small farmers, agriculture producers, landowners and landholders at the beginning of production chain and make decisions on sustainable land use. We should think of Creating 'Green Communities' or 'Green Democracies. Only then will the effort become people centred. A Green Economy sounds too impersonalised and distanced from the normal human being. Green economy principles has the tendency to misunderstood and for good reason. For an effective green economy (which embraces renewable energies) there should be seven necessary conditions established as a preconditions: 1. political will and commitment 2. legal foundation 3. financial instruments 4. technology viability 5. human capital formation 6. dynamic adjustments 7. common language.

OTHER - USEFUL Financiers do not provide capital, they are merely intermediaries and their models derived from economics are error-prone, since economics is a bankrupt discipline, and never was a science. Thus, in growing green enterprises and facilities, we must never start with economic models, but with a real world approach based on the appropriate science. It is all about Green versus Brown economy. In the Green Economy, technology and investment enhance natural capital. It is greatly appreciated that the Principles avoid the term "growth". Please make sure that this remains so. "Growth" is a dead end and can never be made sustainable. Main barriers to success are the selling points to stakeholders, esp governments and businesses. Most changes here start with the electorate. Milestones must be doable inclusion of interested parties and stakeholders, even if it means lowering milestones. The easiest way to bring reluctant parties on board is to address their concerns and make them feel important. See Paul Hawkens set of principles for achieving a sustainable world. Many of his concepts are missing from this: 1. Reduce consumption of energy and natural resources by 80% within 40-60 years. 2. Provide secure, stable, and meaningful employment for people everywhere. 3. Be self-actuating, not regulated, controlled, mandated, or moralistic. 4. Be perceived as more desirable than our present way of life. 5. Honour human nature and market principles. 6. Exceed sustainability by restoring degraded habitats and ecosystems to their fullest biological capacity. 7. Rely on current solar income. 8. Be fun and engaging, and strive for aesthetic outcome.

17
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS I like the concept, but it is not a quick fix approach as listed above. Green economy can't be just a new label masking business-as-usual These should be translated into Chinese. Only when all leaders, including grassroots organizations, are informed will the China's 12th five year plan be well implemented and guided by a scientific outlook on development in a changing world. Without a UN Climate Technology Program, it is more difficult to prevent extreme weather related disasters. Aim for such a program at the Rio Conference, the UNFCCC's tech transmission is not up to the task. How do you apply the biomimicry principle? Can you put yourself in 'nature's' shoes? I particularly appreciate the references to an ethical framework for green economies. I also feel strongly that poverty eradication is only one part of the problem and that the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty must take place Why call it Green Economy? Might be better D2S, Development towards Sustainability. How to get the best governance in the UN? It is already condemned to the same fate as the former SDN.

18
Green Economy Coalition preliminary Principles consultation report 23 rd May 2012