Conference report Real green economies

The report argues that there is no single blueprint for a green economy, but rather multiple pathways driven by local communities. It critiques 'green growth' for focusing on GDP and resource efficiency while often ignoring social justice, structural power asymmetries, and the needs of the poor. The document emphasizes the need to connect international financial and policy mechanisms with ground-level realities, suggesting that developing countries can 'leapfrog' industrialised pathways by investing in low-carbon infrastructure. Key recommendations include 'greening' existing financial flows like Official Development Assistance (ODA), integrating social justice goals from the outset of policy design, and diversifying political narratives to include indigenous and non-Western knowledge.

• There is no universal model for transitioning to greener economies; instead, multiple pathways exist, with 'real green economies' already operating at the community level independently of government action.
• A distinction is drawn between 'green growth', which focuses on GDP productivity and technological innovation, and a 'green economy', which pursues broader economic reforms to protect natural systems and ensure equity.
• Current 'green growth' strategies often fail to address the needs of poor communities or tackle structural power imbalances, and there is limited evidence that these policy packages generate new job opportunities for the poor.
• Developing countries have the opportunity to 'leapfrog' the high-carbon development paths of industrialised nations by directing investment toward resource-efficient and low-carbon infrastructure.
• To achieve a truly inclusive green economy, social justice goals—such as redistributing asset control and enforcing labour rights—must be integrated into the design of policies from the beginning, rather than added as a later social impact assessment.
• Financial transition should focus on 'greening' existing investment flows, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA), and utilizing sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) to counter financial short-termism.
• Technocratic and market-based 'green' solutions can lead to 'green grabs' that threaten land and livelihoods, particularly in Africa, highlighting the need to remove some public goods from the marketplace.

APA

Benson, E. (2014). Conference report Real green economies. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/WP1272-Report-RealGreenEconomies.pdf

Chicago

Benson, Emily. Conference report Real green economies. Green Economy Coalition, 2014. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/WP1272-Report-RealGreenEconomies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benson |first1=Emily |title=Conference report Real green economies |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=April 2014 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/WP1272-Report-RealGreenEconomies.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benson2014conference, author = {Benson, Emily}, title = {{Conference report Real green economies}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/WP1272-Report-RealGreenEconomies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }