World economic and social survey 2009: promoting development, saving the planet

The separation in practice of climate change and development agendas has distorted the global debate on the two biggest policy challenges facing the international community. According to the World Economic and Social Survey 2009, an integrated approach based on the concept of sustainable development is urgently needed. The key to such an approach is a low-emissions, high-growth transformation of the global economy - a transformation that can keep temperature increases consistent with environmental stability as identified by the scientific community, while at the same time fostering the strong growth and economic diversification in developing countries that would allow convergence of incomes worldwide. The greening of catch-up growth will have to be further tailored so as to meet the adaptation challenges facing vulnerable countries and communities whose economic security will be threatened even if climate change is kept within globally manageable limits. To date, the concept of development has too often remained in the background during the evolving climate debate. As a result, the discussions concerning both normative issues (invoking 'common but differentiated responsibilities') and financial ones (entailing how to fund mitigation and adaptation) have become polarized. Moreover, the discussion on creating policies and programmes to support the greening of catch-up growth has hardly started.

• ISBN: 978-92-1-109159-5
• Editorial: ONU
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 238
• Fecha Publicación: 01/10/2009
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés