Green Economy, Sustainable Development

•‗Each generation must address the real-world threats and questions that arise in their particular moment in history‘- Richard Pearcy(2012). This document was a presentation at the Post-Oil Nigeria Conference 2019. It attempts to integrate discussion around Restorative/circular economy with theology, building on the concept of Jubilee and highlighting specific principles that should inform the practice and concept of restorative economy.

This paper discusses the surge of export-oriented large hydropower projects in Laos in the context of the green economy. It starts off with an overview of rural electrification in Laos and figures about the hydropower boom. While there were 85 hydropower projects in some stage of development in 2011, around 30% of the Lao population still does not have access to electricity. The paper then discusses the stakeholders involved in the hydropower sector, which shows that the almost all developers, financiers, and consultancy companies are foreign, as well as the designated markets for the electricity produced. Finally, the benefits, costs, and equity implications of large hydropower projects in Laos are discussed. While the economic benefits are generally large, the social and environmental costs are also large, as well as unpredictable in the long run and disproportionally affecting people in rural areas. The paper concludes that hydropower in Laos in its current form is not an example of a ‘green economy’ activity as long as it does not address the inherent shortcomings of a ‘green’ neoliberal economic approach to energy development. Furthermore, there are many forms of renewable energy possible in Laos that would better fit the label ‘green economy’ and could lead to more sustainable developments.

This publication introduces calculations of circulation pump power for solar water heater, forced circulation system. The theoretical power is estimated as 0.5 Watt, while the nominal power of the relevant pump is 6 Watt. Energy consumption of such pump is 25 kWh/year. The required water flow is 2 liters/minute and the pump's head is 1.5 meter.

Alors que le changement climatique menace la planète entière, l'économie verte se présente comme une alternative de lutte contre ce phénomène, et un enjeu de développement durable.

Si l'économie verte est déjà bien avancée en Europe, en Afrique ( Afrique Centrale en particulier) ce type d'économie traîne encore le pas, malgré une abondante disponibilité en ressources naturelles et un capital humain important.

"SYNTHESIS ON THE PROBLEM OF GREEN ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL AFRICA" est un petit article qui fait la synthèse des problèmes qui freinent le développement de l'économie verte en Afrique centrale.

Abstract: Recently Nigeria rebased its GDP upward recording impressive growth. By
implication, Nigeria is Africa's largest economy overtaking South Africa in GDP. Yet, doubts are
raised whether GDP growth is an objective measure of growth in an economy where many
people are still at the bottom of the poverty pyramid. It is noted that these issues overlap as they
have environmental imperatives. Nigerian carbon-based economy is reliant on oil to grow the
economy hence the GDP rebase is strongly influenced by single resources. Nevertheless, the
gains of GDP growth will be reversed by near-term ecological crises as government policies
favour depletion of ecological assets. The standard growth trajectory is wrecking havoc on the
environment engendering environmental externalities. However, all hope is not totally lost as
green economy can also be a window of opportunity for Nigeria. That is, if the opportunity is
seized to place development on the right track. This entails setting new priorities, determining
threats, defining challenges, fashioning and implementing policies consistent with
environmentally sound and efficient management. It will mean placing Africa's cultural,
environmental, political and economic peculiarities at the foreground of any blueprint to a post
fossil society.

Key words: Green economy, Green growth, Economic growth, Sustainable development,
Externalities, Pollution and Nigeria

In the digital economy a well known problem takes a new shape: planned obsolescence increasingly impacts our everyday life, undermining the performances of our smart devices, from mobile phones, to personal computers, connected cars and smart homes. This shatters the very basis of consumer law, challenges its effectiveness, and raises some crucial issues, requiring innovative solutions. Addressing the legal implications of such phenomenon has thus become a necessity. 1 Current sanctions and the approach of the EU legislator on this point so far show a lack of effectiveness, leaving open some fundamental questions. Is actual consumer law fit enough to tackle planned obsolescence? Can unfair trading law contribute to improving the effectiveness of consumer contract law in solving the issue of planned obsolescence? Other major issues concern the growing tension with the goal of achieving sustainable development 2 and a circular economy; 3 ensuring longer durability of consumer goods is indeed crucial for achieving more sustainable consumption behaviour , waste reduction and environmental protection. European unfair commercial practices' rules play a crucial role in tackling the phenomenon of planned obsolescence, as they cover traders' behaviour before, during and after a commercial transaction in relation to a product. On 25 September 2018, the Italian Competition Authority (hereinafter: ICA) fined, under two separate decisions, both Apple 4 and Samsung 5 for unfair commercial practices concerning software updates which seriously impaired the functioning of certain models of mobile phones. The two big firms were fined 10 m and 5 m Euros respectively. Such decisions immediately gained worldwide resonance. This paper addresses the most challenging issues on this topic and proposes possible responses in way of interpretation and legislation.

The United Nations’ green economy programme radically re-imagines the commons as a space where ecosystems services will be quantified, marketised and traded. This paper will examine issues with this version of the green economy for environmental communicators. It will review the etymology of the concept, examine contested ideas on what a green economy would entail and situate these proposals in relation to different economic approaches to the environment. It will suggest strategies for communicating the contested nature of the proposals and exposing obfuscations. This paper will argue that in stark opposition to green economics with its focus on participation and democratic processes, the UN’s GEP will close deliberations on the commons by privatizing ‘ecosystem services’ – thereby taking environmental decision-making out of a political sphere and into the marketplace.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20) was conceived at a time of great concern for the health of the world economy. In this atmosphere ‘green economy’ was chosen as one of two central themes for the conference, building on a burgeoning body of literature on the green economy and growth. This research examines the relationship and influence between the double crisis and the rise of ‘greening’ as part of the solution. The aim is to understand what defines and distinguishes the proposals contained in twenty-four sources on the green economy (including policy documents by international agencies and think tanks, and research papers), and what is the meaning and implication of the rising greening agenda for sustainable development as it enters the 21st century. Through a systematic qualitative analysis of textual material, three categories of discourse that can illuminate the meaning and implication of greening are identified: ‘almost business as usual’, ‘greening’, and ‘all change’. An analysis of their relationship with Dryzek’s classification of environmental discourse leads to the identification of three interrelated patterns: (1) scarcity and limits, (2) means and ends, and (3) reductionism and unity—which deepen our understanding of the tensions between emerging propositions. The patterns help explain the meaning and implications of greening for sustainable development, revealing an economisation and polarisation of discourses, the persisting weak interpretation of sustainable development, and a tension between the fixing or shifting of dominant socioeconomic paradigms that underpin its conceptualisation.
Keywords: green economy, sustainable development, limits, scarcity, paradigm shift, Rio+20

This work introduces development of formulas of heat transfer in solar water heater pipes to allow calculations of energy losses in pipes.
Solar legislation in Israel requires installation of solar water heaters in new buildings up to 9 floors from roof. The legislation from year 1980 is based on technology of late 70's. This publication compares old types of installation (steel pipe) with the current common practice (2017) of installation of solar water heaters in Israel.
Publication of "Energy Balance of Solar Water Heaters: Thermosyphonic Systems" [8] created new tool which allowed to make this work.
This work analyzes a possibility of installation of thermosyphonic systems in lower floors than 4th floor under the roof.
The results are energy losses, waste of time waiting for hot water and waste of water depending on pipe's length and distance to apartment.
This publication may be helpful for techno-economic evaluation of water heating options and determination of the optimum solutions. It also contains large volume of useful formulas, data and information and can serve as basic material for solar water heaters calculations.

This chapter offers an overview and explanation of how society's relationship-to-profit plays a significant role in determining social and ecological outcomes. The way in which societies relate to profit plays out in terms of both formal and informal institutions. One formal institution that is key for sustainability is relationship-to-profit, the legal difference between for-profit and not-for-profit forms of business. This chapter explains how relationship-to-profit, as a basic building block of the entire economy, plays a critical role in determining whether the economy drives sustainability crises or allows for meeting everyone's needs within the ecological limits of the planet. This analysis reveals that the social and ecological crises of the twenty-first century have the same driver: the pursuit and accumulation of private wealth inherent in the for-profit economy. Yet, existent not-for-profit types of business offer a viable way out of this conundrum. In a market composed of not-for-profit businesses, all economic activity and profit would be oriented toward social benefit, keeping financial and material resources circulating to where they are most needed. The financial surplus of business activity would not accumulate in the hands of a few owners, as it does in the for-profit economy.

Local wisdom is a valuable heritage of society; its existence maintains the community's identity. Coffee, which is the history of the Arabs, is a priceless heritage and local wisdom of national identity in the Arabian peninsula. Saudi Arabia nevertheless maintains this local wisdom and has strengthened it as a valuable identity. However, with diversification rather than local wisdom itself, it will enrich identity references, in this case with third-wave acculturation, which has become a global trend in the coffee value chain.

This paper is a qualitative descriptive which, through the literature, observations, site visits and interviews, which were analysed, concluded that the acculturation of coffee in Saudi Arabia has become more diversified and strengthens the sustainable economy in the coffee value chain from farm to cup. Moreover, it is envisioned that Saudi Coffee 2022 will be able to mitigate the coffee sustainability challenges that will arise in the next generation.

This paper is an attempt to contribute to an eco-socialist critique of the widely prevailing theoretical perspectives on development with a focus on one aspect: the competing explanations of underdevelopment in the Third World and of the poverty resulting from that underdevelopment. The aspect of inequality between the developed capitalist economies and developing capitalist economies will also be examined from the viewpoint of its linkages with poverty in the Third World. Three main perspectives will be considered: one, the traditional one that keeps the discussion on poverty, underdevelopment and inequality within the framework of a capitalist economy; two, the Marxian one as a critique of capitalism and third, the Green one that focusses on the natural environment as a way of dealing with issues of poverty and underdevelopment.

This 2011 publication starts with reflections on the Green Economy Report and follows with the discussion of industry-specific opportunities and challenges in strengthening the role of business in the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient and Green Economy. The publication proceeds to further define the future global framework for strengthening the role of business in the lead up to Rio+20.
Authors: Jamie Attard (UNEP), Garrett Clark (UNEP), Andrea Bacher (ICCWBO), Sonia Uribe (UNEP)

As an upper-middle income economy, Mauritius has already put in place several fiscal measures to address environmental degradation without compromising economic progress. However, in view of implementing sustainable development principles, and given the country’s small size and fragile ecosystems, it is now vital to identify avenues of implementing the Green Economy concept more fully.  It is with this perspective that the objectives of this country Report are set as to:
• Provide an assessment of the current fiscal stance, in terms of existing fiscal arrangements within the environment sector;
• Analyse the prospects and challenges of current fiscal policy to promote the green economy ;
• Analyse the effectiveness of green economy expenditure increases in influencing GDP through multiplier effects
• Evaluate the scope of public expenditure in the green economy in improving income distribution
• Provide fiscal policy options to facilitate a green economy transformation

This report draws significantly on the simulation results carried out in the Green Economy Assessment (GEA) of Mauritius (UNEP, forthcoming), in which agriculture, energy, infrastructure, tourism, transport, water and waste are analysed through the GE framework. These sectors were identified as priorities for Mauritius’ green economy transformation through a number of stakeholder consultations with the government, civil society and business. The main concerns of the GE study focus on how fiscal policies can promote greater renewable energy penetration, more efficient energy use across all production sectors, greater water efficiency use, food security and agricultural self-sufficiency, optimal land utilisation, sustainable infrastructure and more efficient transport means.
Furthermore, the report provides insights into how existing environmental taxes and expenditures along with other budgetary instruments could be revisited and fine-tuned over subsequent phases in the near future to smooth the transition towards the GE. All in all, such analysis encompasses scenarios to ensure the well-being of the Mauritian population in line with prospects of greening the different economic sectors. It also identifies the potential direct benefits accruing to the economy and society, such as employment creation, higher productivity, equity gains and a more efficient management of the island’s natural resources. However, the findings also show that there are quite a few challenges that the government will have to face while transiting towards the green economy. Simulated tax increases show that, on its own, government revenue will not be sufficient to finance the expected investment, as indicated in the GEA of the order of 0.76 % of GDP per year, between 2014 and 2035. This holds true even after Mauritius becomes a high-income economy in 2020, according to the simulation exercises. Hence, there is need for effective fiscal reforms alongside collaboration with the private sector to ensure that optimal investment into the GE will be undertaken.

We are currently transitioning from a world of plenty into one in which the planet’s resources have been compromised in their ability to sustain our routines. We are also in a world of global economic and social multilevel governance. The article argues that in its simplest formulation, the “green economy” refers to economics in the name of sustainability: a system of interactions among markets, environmental forces, and social policies that support human subsistence and freedoms over generations. In the eve of "Rio plus 20," the essay goes on to explore the role of the trading system in advancing the green economy.

The RECREATE Green Horizons Scoreboard has been designed to become a website that presents core indicators addressing relevant innovation systems related to societal challenges in the areas of climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials. This report describes the research underpinnings as well as the indicators them- selves and the rationale for their selection. It also describes the main design principles of the website. Time series data is provided for up to 34 countries of the European Research Area.

Η Ελλάδα με τον πλούσιο χλωριδικό της πλούτο μπορεί να παράγει ανταγωνιστικά προϊόντα υψηλής προστιθέμενης αξία και να προωθήσει την πράσινη-αειφόρο ανάπτυξη, μέσα από την εκπαίδευση. Το Εργαστήριο Προστασίας και Αξιοποίησης Αυτοφυών και Ανθοκομικών Ειδών, ακολουθώντας και αναδεικνύοντας τον πολλαπλό οικολογικό, κοινωνικό, εκπαιδευτικό και οικονομικό ρόλο, διοργάνωσε κατάρτιση με σκοπό την καλλιέργεια, μεταποίηση και προώθηση τοπικών αυτοφυών αρωματικών-φαρμακευτικών ειδών σε 11 νησιά του Νομού Κυκλάδων. Σε 25 ημέρες καταρτίστηκαν 450 κάτοικοι. Μετά από έναν περίπου χρόνο της κατάρτισης παρουσιάζονται τα θετικά αποτελέσματα της πράσινης εκπαίδευσης, στην οικονομία και την ανάπτυξη: 1) Δημιουργία δύο (σε Σύρο και Αμοργό) Κοινωνικών Συνεταιριστικών Επιχειρήσεων (ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ), 2) Δημιουργία βοτανικού κήπου από την ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ της Αμοργού, 3) Ανάπτυξη προϊόντων μίας ήδη υπάρχουσας επιχείρησης, 4) Συμβολαιακή γεωργία μεταξύ νέων παραγωγών και εταιρίας, 5) Νέος κύκλος εκπαιδεύσεων στους χώρους του ΕΛΓΟ «ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ» για περισσότερη εξειδίκευση, 6) Οργάνωση καταρτίσεων από τους καταρτισθέντες σε νέα μέλη ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ, 7) Δημιουργία Δικτύου Αρωματικών Φαρμακευτικών Φυτών στις Κυκλάδες.

Overview Making space is the story of how waste pickers claimed space for sorting scrap in Pune. It represents in some measure the recognition and value accorded to the waste pickers of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad by the city and its citizens. Space is at a premium in the city. So the sheds mark a milestone in the struggle of informal waste workers to make claims on its space resources and to make the city theirs.

Since some years, the strategy of a Green Economy as a current form of ecological modernization was proposed. The paper highlights the core issues of the concept and its structural constraints. Several constraints of a far-reaching realization of a Green Economy are presented, and one constraint is highlighted, i.e., the imperial mode of (production and) living. The latter gives emphasis to the continuous and largely unquestioned access to products produced by cheap labor and under environmentally problematic conditions. This mode of living, the paper argues, is also attractive among the upper and middle classed in countries with emerging economies like China. Moreover, it compares it with the concept of sustainable development which emerged some 15 years ago. Like sustainable development, proposals for a Green Economy might become “a tranquilizing dispositive” in order to silence doubt and criticisms. However, it is argued that, despite the improbability of realizing the ambitious objectives, the Green Economy strategy might contribute to further capitalist development. Environmental issues might be integrated into the mode of production and living. However, given capitalist and imperial structures and dynamics, this will occur in highly selective and partial ways. The author calls this emerging constellation and possible new mode of development in some countries or regions of the world Green Capitalism.

The theme paper for 20th World Congress on Environment Management and Climate Change 2018 on  Transformational Leadership for Promoting Climate Resilient Economic Growth which raises various questions for directors and boards. Theme papers are designed to help participants think about issues and options relating to the topics to be considered at this annual international event which will cover transformational board leadership for sustainability, combating climate change, aligning business strategy to UN sustainable development goals, pollution prevention and waste minimisation, energy security and sustainable energy options, water management, and the opportunity for board responses and their importance. The theme paper, programme and other information is available from http://iodglobal.com/20th-wcem-2018.html

The question of how to achieve ‘green’ development – to maintain economic growth without the trade-offs of ecological degradation or carbon emissions – has long perplexed theorists of development and environmental change. Yet most studies analyze green development as applied to industrialized economies or international aid projects; fewer examine how it is interpreted and implemented in the Global South, especially in resource-rich areas, even as many countries chart their own development path distinct from that of the Global North. This dissertation addresses this issue by examining the political economy and socio-environmental impacts of small hydropower (SHP) in China, the country’s most widespread renewable energy technology. At its core, it seeks to explain a seeming paradox: that while the government promotes SHP abroad as a Chinese model of green development, it is actively restricting further SHP expansion at home. Using conceptual and methodological tools from economic geography, political ecology, and development studies, I ‘follow the technology’ from policy design in Beijing, to implementation in China’s southwest Yunnan province, to export abroad through international training workshops in Hangzhou. In doing so, I unearth the logics and politics that shape when, where, and how green development policies and technologies are designed and used, and the economic and environmental consequences that they entail.

Based on fourteen months of fieldwork across six research sites, this dissertation finds that the function of SHP has changed constantly in different times and places, from rural electrification and industrialization, to conservation and national carbon mitigation. I argue that these changes reflect shifting state logics of green development, which have evolved from a focus on rural poverty alleviation to national low-carbon growth. Through new policies and energy subsidies, the state has re-framed rural southwest China as a ‘low-carbon frontier’, generating rapid and uncoordinated growth in SHP construction since the early 2000s. Yet I also found local conflicts between electricity generation and other natural resource uses, such as irrigation, forest conservation, and water storage, which have negatively affected rural livelihoods and agricultural yields. Moreover, while SHP is promoted as a substitute for dirty fuels, I found that it propelled an increase in mineral extraction and deforestation for charcoal production. For these reasons, and because of overcapacity, the state no longer favors SHP as a source of low-carbon value, ceding its position to solar and wind. This has driven SHP firms to new markets abroad, buoyed by state officials eager to tout China as a ‘green’ aid and investment partner. These findings thus contrast with typical accounts of low-carbon transition to highlight the spatial and environmental inequalities that shape renewable energy expansion and green development.

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (known collectively as REDD+) initiative has emerged as a means through which individuals, projects and communities in developing countries can be financially rewarded for reducing emissions from deforestation, forest degradation and enhancement of carbon stock. In this article, we analyse the various framings and actor coalitions around REDD+ and institutional dynamics within the conceptualisation and development of REDD+. We conclude with a reflection on the key aspects for the political economy of REDD+ under a post-Kyoto agreement, arguing that increased institutional recognition and support to less powerful forest voices is needed if equity rights as social justice are to be considered as key aspects of the future global climate change regime.

Co-authours:

Africa News, Agripa Munyai, Alex Wilson, Catriona Knapman, Ciaran Oliver, EcoWatch, Emilio Godoy, Eurasia Review, European Commission, Frances Moore Lappé, Heather Clancy, Jeff Davis, Jenny De Vaughn, John D. Liu, Joshua S. Hill, Leslie Hedrick, Matthew Roney, Moshe Terdiman, OECD, Paula Melton, Pietro Bertazzi, R. Paul Herman, Raz Godelink, Richard Matthew, Rob Wheeler, Sangeeta Haindl, Worldwatch Institute, United Nations, Yoshihide Wada

This report reveals, for the fi st time, data on resource use and resource efficiency for all countries of the world over three decades, from 1980 – 2008. The data covers the global, continental and country level, featuring illustrative case studies.

The report addresses three main issues:

1. Patterns of material extraction, trade, consumption and resource productivity in different world regions and countries;

2. Connections between material use and indicators of economic and social development;

3. Links between material use and selected major environmental problems, such as carbon emissions, land use change and water use.

The report evaluates the performances of different countries, highlighting the critical issues of current trends in resource use. It thus provides innovative input for the current discussion on green economies and poverty reduction in the context of the Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012 and beyond.

Uninsulated pipes of solar waters heaters in Israel increase national electricity consumption by 200 millions kWh/year, 40 millions USD per year. Simple solution having 2-4 months return of investment period can stop this waste. This work introduces energy balance of thermosyphonic solar water heater (SWH) without pipes' thermal insulation. The results are used for economic evaluation.

Sustainability is a concept, related to the continuity of economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of human society. For a human enterprise to be sustainable, it must have four basic characteristics: environmental correctness, economical viability, socially impartial, and culturally acceptable. Through studies on the floating type mono-column - SSP300 - we use a plate-spring system as a transducer, which captures and converts mechanical energy from sea waves into electrical energy stored for use in health care facilities at low cost. The net result is a system for clean and renewable energy production that bears in mind the sustainability concept.
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Sustentabilidade é um conceito sistêmico, relacionado com a continuidade dos aspectos econômicos, sociais, culturais e ambientais da sociedade humana. Propõe-se a ser um meio de configurar a civilização e atividade humanas, de tal forma que a sociedade, os seus membros e as suas economias possam preencher as suas necessidades e expressar o seu maior potencial no presente, e ao mesmo tempo preservar a biodiversidade e os ecossistemas naturais, planejando e agindo de forma a atingir pró-eficiência na manutenção indefinida desses ideais.

A sustentabilidade abrange vários níveis de organização, desde a vizinhança local até o planeta inteiro. Para um empreendimento humano ser sustentável, tem de ter em vista 4 requisitos básicos: Empreendimento ecologicamente correto; economicamente viável; socialmente justo; e culturalmente aceitável.

Através de estudos sobre a unidade flutuante do tipo monocoluna - SSP300 -, constatamos que esta pode receber um Sistema Chapa-mola, o qual capta energia mecânica e converte em energia elétrica armazenada para utilização em instalações de serviços. Desta forma, temos um meio limpo e renovável de produção energética, podendo ser enquadrado no quadro de sustentabilidade.

Palavras-chave: Energia, Fontes renováveis, Sustentabilidade.

Доклад на Пленарной сессии Республиканского научно-педагогического круглого стола «КРЕАТИВНАЯ МОЛОДЕЖЬ - ПУТЬ К ИНТЕЛЛЕКТУАЛЬНОЙ ДЕРЖАВЕ и модель «4К - КРЕАТИВНОСТЬ, КРИТИЧЕСКОЕ МЫШЛЕНИЕ, КОММУНИКАБЕЛЬНОСТЬ, УМЕНИЕ РАБОТАТЬ В КОМАНДЕ» на тему: «Проблемы и барьеры для креативности молодежи - новые пути решения в эпоху тенденций Global-Green-Eco-Smart»

Since the beginning of the decade, the discussion on sustainable development has lost in prominence, being gradually replaced by a debate on the “Green Economy” (UNEP 2011) family  of  concepts,  including  the  “Green  New  Deal”  (UNEP  2009),  “Green  Growth” (OECD 2011) or a “Global Marshall Plan for a Worldwide Eco-social Market Economy” (Rademacher 2012). However, the substance of this replacement is not exactly clear; several rounds of informal negotiations have not produced a clear-cut definition of what a Green Economy ultimately is. The promises are striking (conserving nature, overcoming poverty, providing equity and creating employment), but the means, measures and philosophy behind look rather familiar. Essentially is seems to be environmental modernisation modernised by an increased concentration on economic instruments, market mechanisms and voluntary agreements with the business sector which is described (and portraits itself) as the main agent for achieving sustainability.

For the analysis and the policy recommendations offered how to solve the environmental crisis, the ontology (synonymously the world view, pre-analytic vision or metaphysics) is decisive. Which one that is can be detected from the terminology used.
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L'8 febbraio 2022, la Camera dei deputati ha approvato in via definitiva il disegno di legge di riforma costituzionale che introduce importanti modifiche agli articoli 9 e 41 della nostra Carta fondamentale. L'ingresso dell'ideologia verde al livello più alto della legislazione italiana iscrive un'ipoteca molto pericolosa per il nostro futuro. La nostra Costituzione è stata perfettamente allineata all’agenda dello statalismo climatico: ora, la palla passerà al legislatore ordinario, all’interpretazione della giurisprudenza e all’esecutivo. Il conto di tale ostinazione lo pagheremo tutti, col portafoglio e con restrizioni alla libertà: proseguendo di questo passo, gli anni Venti di questo secolo, tutt’altro che ruggenti, potrebbero vedere l’evaporazione della classe media, segno evidente dell’implementazione del Great Reset di Davos con l’avanzata del nuovo “socialismo liberale”, tinto di verde. Green is the new Red.

In the context of severe water shortage and pollution, enhancing the green total-factor productivity of water resources (GTFPWR) is critical for the green development of water resources. This study aims to propose a novel two-stage analytical framework, in which the GTFPWR is measured in the first stage and its economic-related determinants are examined in the second stage. In this two-stage analytical framework, we improve and integrate four classical methods, namely, the undesirable-super-slack-based measure, global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index, system generalized method of moments and fixed-effects panel threshold models. The proposed analytical framework is capable of addressing four practical issues simultaneously: equal efficiency, undesirable outputs, impact scenarios and endogenous biases. We can thus more accurately and comprehensively evaluate the GTFPWR and its determinants. To validate the applicability and suitability of the proposed methodology, we collected the panel data about water resources across 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2015 for an empirical study. The main findings of this study are as follows: i) the level of water utilization is a critical factor for the government to decide whether to increase the GTFPWR via foreign direct investment and trade; ii) the amount of wastewater should be effectively reduced to mitigate the conflicts between urbanization and the GTFPWR growth; iii) inland provinces, particularly Shanxi, Hainan and Yunnan, need to improve water technologies and management to increase their low-GTFPWR-growth rates. Our analytical framework is practical to evaluate water-use productivity and its determinants, while our empirical findings provide new insights into the green development of water resources and may shed light on future policies of environmental management.