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The document argues that the consumption patterns of the growing middle class in developing countries are a critical determinant of the global ability to limit temperature rise to 2°C. It suggests that because traditional carbon pricing is often difficult to implement in these contexts, targeted technology and innovation policies—focusing on urban planning, transport, and energy efficiency—are necessary. Using case studies on Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the brief emphasizes that success depends on addressing the political economy and building local capabilities rather than relying solely on economic incentives.

The document examines the impact of the growing middle class in developing countries on global carbon emissions, projecting that this group will grow from 1.5 billion in 2009 to almost 5 billion by 2030. It argues that because traditional carbon pricing is often impractical in these contexts, targeted technology and innovation policies are needed to steer consumption toward low-carbon alternatives in urban planning, transport, and household energy. Using case studies on Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the brief emphasizes that success depends on addressing the political economy and building local capabilities rather than relying solely on economic incentives.

The Vietnam Green Growth Strategy (VGGS), approved in September 2012, seeks to restructure the economy for resource efficiency and sustainable growth. It sets specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2020, 2030, and 2050. Implementation is managed by an Inter-ministerial Coordinating Board and supported by a blend of public, private, and international financing, including the Green Climate Fund and potential carbon taxes.

The Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) initiative, launched by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), aims to provide sustainable solar lighting to un-electrified rural areas. In India, the program has reached approximately 500,000 people across 1,860 villages in 22 states. The model relies on local entrepreneurs who manage solar charging stations or DC micro grids, offering lighting via a fee-for-service rental model or through loan-financed enterprises. To ensure sustainability, TERI established 'Energy Enterprises' (Uttam Urja Shops) for after-sales support and product sales, with support from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) to create over 400 such shops. The initiative has evolved its financing from initial grants to market-based equity and investment models and has expanded its scope to include mobile phone charging, vocational training for women, and conservation activities through various public-private-people partnerships.

The document identifies five primary drivers for adopting CCD: national awareness of climate adaptation needs, the pursuit of energy security and resource efficiency, the desire to capture new green economic opportunities, the goal of improving access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. Conversely, it outlines seven key challenges: high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of reliable data on risks and trade-offs, political short-termism, limited state capacity, institutional constraints (such as inter-ministerial conflict), and technological uncertainties. The paper suggests solutions including the use of carbon markets, participatory dialogue processes, the integration of climate goals into long-term legislation, and the creation of inter-ministerial committees with direct accountability to the presidency.

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) examines the drivers and challenges associated with Climate Compatible Development (CCD), defined as a "development first" approach that minimizes climate harm while maximizing human development opportunities in a low-emissions, resilient future. Drawing on experience from over 40 countries, the paper identifies key sociopolitical drivers—such as national resilience needs, energy security, and economic opportunities—and outlines significant barriers, including high implementation costs, political resistance, and institutional capacity gaps.

The document identifies five key drivers for Climate Compatible Development (CCD)—national adaptation needs, energy security, new economic opportunities, access to climate finance, and strong government leadership—while detailing seven primary obstacles, including high opportunity costs, political resistance, and institutional constraints. It provides case studies from over 40 countries to illustrate how these factors interact and suggests solutions such as multi-stakeholder dialogue, legislative anchoring, and risk-sharing financial mechanisms.

The paper identifies five key drivers for CCD: national adaptation needs, energy security and resource efficiency, new economic opportunities, access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. It also outlines seven primary challenges, including high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of trusted data, short-term political thinking, limited state capacity, institutional constraints, and technological uncertainties. The authors argue that managing the political economy of CCD is essential for overcoming these barriers.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) met in February 2013 to establish its 2013-2015 strategy. The coalition aims to counter 'green growth' narratives that ignore equity and ecological limits by engaging with the G20, World Economic Forum, and national governments. Its work plan consists of three core activities—dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collective influence—and five thematic projects: Measuring What Matters, Financial Sector Reform, Greening Economic Sectors, Investing in People, and Managing Natural Systems. The GEC intends to transition into a network of collaborating partners, expanding its membership to include more developing countries and private sector entities.

The document analyzes the Mozambican legal framework for public procurement, concluding that while the current regulation does not expressly prioritize sustainability, there are several entry points for reform and interpretation to promote sustainable public procurement (SPP). It examines the roles of procurement authorities, the various contracting modalities—including public tenders, limited tenders, and direct contracting—and the criteria used for awarding contracts, suggesting shifts from 'lowest-price' to 'lowest-cost' or 'conjugated' criteria to better account for environmental and social impacts.

The document argues that current climate policies focus too heavily on the demand side, allowing fossil fuel exporting countries to increase production with little impact on their own territorial emissions accounts. It proposes 'extraction-based emissions accounting', which attributes CO2 emissions to the country where fuels are extracted, as a way to promote producer responsibility and identify economic vulnerabilities. The brief notes that countries heavily dependent on high-carbon exports face risks of 'stranded' assets if global demand declines, as projected in some IEA scenarios. Additionally, it suggests integrating life-cycle assessments (LCA) to account for varying upstream emissions, such as those from Canadian oil sands, which can be significantly higher than conventional crude.

The Stockholm Environment Institute is launching a project to analyze the 'new fossil fuel economy,' specifically focusing on how new investments in extraction and trade infrastructure create political and economic dependencies that hinder climate stabilization. The initiative aims to develop new GHG accounting frameworks from a supply perspective, assess equity considerations for supplying countries, and evaluate the social and environmental impacts of unconventional oil, gas, and coal development. Planned case studies include coal infrastructure for Asian markets in Mongolia and Mozambique, oil shale in Estonia, Jordan, Morocco, and the Western U.S., and oil sands in Venezuela's Orinoco basin.

The report details a workshop in Bali, Indonesia, focused on reforming fossil-fuel subsidies in Southeast Asia. It presents a policy framework based on three pillars: getting energy prices right, managing reform impacts, and building public support. The document includes case studies from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Iran, highlighting the fiscal burdens of subsidies, the effectiveness of targeted cash transfers and 'lifeline' tariffs, and the political difficulties of price deregulation. It emphasizes that successful reform requires comprehensive communication strategies, impact assessments for vulnerable groups, and a transition toward market-based pricing to support green growth and energy efficiency.

The document uses a global-to-local modelling approach to project land use changes in Vietnam up to 2030. It finds that economic growth and urbanisation will lead to a significant loss of paddy rice land and protected forests, while climate-induced flooding poses a severe threat to the Red River and Mekong River Deltas. The study highlights critical policy trade-offs between reducing greenhouse gas emissions through reforestation and maintaining national food security targets.

The document examines the debate over whether economic growth can be decoupled from environmental degradation or if a transition to 'degrowth' and post-consumerism is necessary. It contrasts 'ecological modernisation'—which relies on green technology and efficiency—with 'green radicalism,' which advocates for sufficiency and cultural shifts. The text applies these theories to specific national contexts, arguing that while some developed nations may be entering a post-consumerist era due to economic instability, others, like Croatia, still require green growth to ensure social stability. It concludes that a sustainable future requires redistributing wealth, sharing work, and moving beyond the 'productivist compromise' of the post-war era.

The report defines a green economy as one that improves human well-being and social equity while reducing environmental risks and pressures on natural resources. It traces the evolution of the concept from early 'steady-state' and 'degrowth' theories to modern 'green growth' strategies promoted by the OECD and EU. The document highlights that Estonia is among the most energy- and resource-intensive EU member states, characterized by high CO2 emissions per capita and a significant ecological footprint, despite having a higher share of renewable energy in its energy mix than the EU average. It argues that GDP is an insufficient measure of progress and advocates for indicators that account for natural, human, and social capital, such as the Happy Planet Index.

The South African Renewables Initiative (SARi) aims to establish financing arrangements to enable a critical mass of renewable energy in South Africa, targeting 19 GW by 2030. The primary challenge is the higher financial cost of renewables compared to coal, which has historically been subsidized. To address this, SARi proposes a mix of concessional loans, risk insurance, and guarantees to leverage private investment. The initiative also emphasizes an industrial strategy to create local jobs and reduce the carbon intensity of exports.

The Walney Offshore Windfarms project, the world's largest installed offshore windfarm at the start of 2012, overcame significant investment barriers through a dual approach. First, the UK government provided a robust policy framework centered on green tradable certificates (ROCs), which provided approximately 60% of expected project revenues. Second, the developer, DONG Energy, employed extensive financial engineering to 'de-risk' the investment for non-utility investors, such as the Dutch pension fund PGGM and Ampère Equity Fund. By using Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), construction management agreements, and vendor financing, DONG Energy reallocated construction, operation, and price risks away from these institutional investors, effectively transforming their equity stakes into quasi-fixed income positions. The project attracted GBP 1.3 billion in private investment and is projected to avoid 8.3 MtCO2 and 193,000 tons of SO2 over its lifetime.

The document argues for a coordinated EU response to the financial crisis, combining fiscal discipline and structural reform with financial regulation and a strategic shift toward green growth. It advocates for defending the euro, implementing a financial transaction tax, increasing corporate tax transparency, and expanding the mandate of the European Central Bank to prevent state bankruptcies. Finally, it asserts that the EU should leverage innovation in energy efficiency and renewable energies to drive economic growth and address climate change.

The briefing argues that the G20 and Rio+20 summits lack concrete deliverables and proposes a 'green growth guarantee' to provide developing countries with indicators, planning support, financial engagement, and peer review. The author highlights the growth of catalyst funds leveraging private investment and the need for a unified approach to sustainable development planning to avoid duplicating efforts across different international frameworks.