BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE FOR A GREEN ECONOMY

The Green Economy Coalition outlines a vision for a global economic transition that prioritizes ecological limits and social equity over traditional GDP growth. It emphasizes that economics is the 'language of power' and must be used to influence treasuries and boardrooms. The briefing identifies five critical action areas—natural systems, people, economic sectors, financial flows, and governance/measurement—and discusses the role of Rio+20 as a stepping stone toward this transition. It also addresses the tension between the need for economic growth in developing nations and the imperative for resource contraction in developed nations, proposing concepts like the circular economy and 'beyond GDP' metrics to resolve the impasse.

• The sustainable development community has recognized that economic analysis, rather than scientific data, is the most effective way to influence government policy. Examples include the Stern Review in the UK, economic analyses of unsustainable development in Malawi, and budget reviews of climate adaptation spending in Bangladesh.
• The Green Economy Coalition proposes a common vision of 'prosperity for all within one planet limits' based on five action areas: managing natural systems, investing in people for a just society, transforming economic sectors (greening 'brown' sectors), influencing financial flows through subsidy and tax reform, and improving governance via 'beyond GDP' measurement.
• The Rio+20 summit is characterized as a 'stepping stone' rather than a turning point; while the outcome document lacked urgency and funding details, it provided a mandate for countries to explore Green Economy policies and established commitments to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the 10-year programme on sustainable consumption and production.
• There is a fundamental tension regarding economic growth: environmentalists argue for negative growth to stay within planetary limits, while governments and developing nations view growth as essential for debt management and poverty reduction. Proposed solutions include 'contraction and convergence' and the 'circular economy' to reduce material inputs.
• The transition to a Green Economy faces significant risks, including the potential for the natural world to be commoditized, the use of 'green wash' to hide bad behavior, and the risk that green policies might exclude the poor or legitimize 'resource grabbing'.
• The Coalition advocates for a 'one development agenda' to prevent fragmentation between the SDG and post-MDG processes, linking international priorities to national 'beyond GDP' processes and corporate reporting through a project called 'Measure What Matters'.

APA

Greenfield, O., & Benson, E. (2013). BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE FOR A GREEN ECONOMY. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/2013_UNEP_Perspectives_Building_the_Big_Picture_for_a_Green_Economy.pdf

Chicago

Greenfield, Oliver, and Emily Benson. BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE FOR A GREEN ECONOMY. Green Economy Coalition, 2013. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/2013_UNEP_Perspectives_Building_the_Big_Picture_for_a_Green_Economy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Greenfield |first1=Oliver |last2=Benson |first2=Emily |title=BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE FOR A GREEN ECONOMY |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=February 2013 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/2013_UNEP_Perspectives_Building_the_Big_Picture_for_a_Green_Economy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenfield2013building, author = {Greenfield, Oliver and Benson, Emily}, title = {{BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE FOR A GREEN ECONOMY}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2013}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/2013_UNEP_Perspectives_Building_the_Big_Picture_for_a_Green_Economy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }