The Green Economy and the BRICS Countries: Bringing Them Together

The paper examines how Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa integrate green economy principles into their national development strategies. It finds that while some countries like South Africa embrace the concept as a path to sustainable development and job creation, others, such as Brazil, view it with skepticism, fearing it may benefit developed nations or hinder economic growth. The authors conclude that for a green transition to be successful, it must be aligned with each country's specific economic priorities and social objectives.

• Brazil's policymakers generally view the green economy as a framework that primarily benefits developed nations, arguing that developing countries lack the necessary technology and investment capacity to transition without depleting budgets in other critical economic sectors.
• Brazil perceives a 'prioritisation tension' where investing in environmental and climate goals is seen as a potential threat to the country's economic growth rate and its objectives for social inclusion.
• Russia views the green economy as a strategic option to increase economic efficiency and move away from a resource-based economy, although its implementation is hindered by a lack of integrated policy frameworks and a heavy reliance on energy-intensive industries.
• India's approach to the green economy is characterised by two competing narratives: a dominant discourse claiming no trade-off exists between economic growth and environmental sustainability, and a counter-discourse that questions whether green growth can effectively reduce poverty.
• China's position on the green economy is complex; while it has invested heavily in renewables—approximately $50 billion annually since 2009—the government remains cautious that green transitions could disrupt established growth objectives and internal competitiveness.
• South Africa views the green economy as a viable path to sustainable development and job creation, implementing frameworks such as the National Development Plan and the Green Economy Accord to diversify its energy mix away from coal.

APA

Wentworth, L., & Oji, C. (2013). The Green Economy and the BRICS Countries: Bringing Them Together. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Occasional-Paper-170.pdf

Chicago

Wentworth, Lesley, and Chijioke Oji. The Green Economy and the BRICS Countries: Bringing Them Together. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Occasional-Paper-170.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wentworth |first1=Lesley |last2=Oji |first2=Chijioke |title=The Green Economy and the BRICS Countries: Bringing Them Together |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Occasional-Paper-170.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wentworth2013green, author = {Wentworth, Lesley and Oji, Chijioke}, title = {{The Green Economy and the BRICS Countries: Bringing Them Together}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Occasional-Paper-170.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }