najib saab - green economiy in a changing arab worldcss.escwa.org.lb/sdpd/1610/s826.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
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in a Changing Arab Worldin a Changing Arab WorldGreen EconomyGreen Economy
in a Changing Arab World in a Changing Arab World
Najib Saab – Secretary General ‐ AFED
• Corporate‐AFED partnership to re‐think strategy, re‐align priorities, and re‐define value‐creation for businesses
• CER mission is to provide roadmap for navigating a transition to green enterprises
• Motivation:
– Business is a powerful and networked institution in society
– Business can change the rules and has capability to play a long game
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• Green finance workshops
• Sustainability reporting workshopsSustainability reporting workshops
• Arab Water Efficiency Roadshow – workshops and on‐site water audits
• Energy efficiency workshops – Environmental Housekeeping Handbook
• CER green economy workshops held in 7 Arab cities• CER‐green economy workshops held in 7 Arab cities in 2009, in collaboration with UNEP
• AFED CER Summit / Abu Dhabi Declaration 120 corporations pledge 20% reduction in water & energy consumption
Navigating a Transition to an Arab Green Economy
AMMAN
BEIRUTKUWAIT
AMMAN
DAMMAMMANAMA ABU DHABI
DUBAI
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• Companies focused on social philanthropy, while ignoring environmental performancewhile ignoring environmental performance
• Lack of market signals, environmental liability risks, and regulatory pressures
• CER not perceived as priority for business strategy
• Lack of awareness
• Lack of capacity
DRIVERSD hi i i• Demographic transitions
• Economic vulnerability
• Degradation to air, water, and land
• Water and food security threats
• Physical infrastructure inadequatey q
• Outdated and inefficient technologies
• Inadequate policies and/or regulations
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Drivers:
• Population growth: 150M (1980) ‐> 317M (07) ‐> 395M (2015)
• Increased urbanization: overcrowded and unhealthy livingIncreased urbanization: overcrowded and unhealthy living conditions (38% urban in 1970, reaching 55% in 2005)
• Youth: 60% is under 25 years old
• Demands for housing, education, health care, transportation systems, food, and other services
• More significantly, demands for decent employment may go unfulfilledunfulfilled
Can strained Arab economies deliver?
Drivers:
• High unemployment: average rate 15%
• Youth unemployment rate
up to 45% is double that in the world at largeworld at large
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Drivers:
• Low‐value, undiversified economies:Capital intensive low employment ratesCapital intensive, low employment rates
Extraction (e.g. oil, natural gas, gold, iron, phosphates)
Commodity products (e.g. fertilizers, cement, aluminum)
Vulnerable to global price volatilities
Distorted prices for local water and electricity consumption
Inefficient economies: highest CO2 emissions per GDPInefficient economies: highest CO2 emissions per GDP (2008) in the world
Some Arab countries have highest CO2 emissions per capita in the world
Drivers:
• Cost of environmental degradation is 5% of GDP on average for regionaverage for region
• Environmental problems related to water costs 0.5‐2.5% of GDP every year
• Air pollution health costs from transport is $5 billion/year
Ad i li h k• Adaptation measures to climate change are weak
• Desertification: degradation is 34% for irrigated farmlands, 67% for rainfed farmlands, and 83% for rangelands
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Drivers:
• By 2015, average annual freshwater availability in most Arab countries will be below 500 m3/capita themost Arab countries will be below 500 m3/capita, the severe water scarcity mark
• 50 million lack access to safe drinking water
• 97 million lack clean sanitation
• High commodity food prices
• Climate change will worsen water availability and agricultural productivity
• Average daily water consumption is 0.3‐0.75 m3 per capita in GCC countries, highest in world
Drivers:
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Use concept of green economy as a basis to change coursechange course
Two Phases
• Conceptual Phase I: AFED 2011 Annual Report Transitioning to the Green Economy
• Implementation Phase II: Demonstration projects
Phase I: AFED 2011 Annual Report• Motivate and assist governments and businesses make transition to
a green economa green economy
• Articulate enabling public policies, business models, green investment opportunities, innovative approaches, and case studies
• Address eight sectors: energy, water, agriculture, transportation, cities/buildings, tourism, industry, and waste management
• Consultation meetings to be held with experts to present findings and generate feedbackand generate feedback
• Report structure:
Implications of current policies in sector
Enabling policies and conditions
Economic, social, and environmental implications
of green transition
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Phase II: Demonstration Projects
• Putting recommended policy options into practice• Putting recommended policy options into practice
• Developing and supporting demonstration projects with national institutions as partners
• Taking different forms:Building institutional capacity
Promoting corporate sustainability strategies (e.g. water audits)
Conducting workshops (e.g. green finance)
Practical user manuals (e.g. Water Efficiency Handbook, Environmental Housekeeping Handbook)
Designing web‐based public awareness campaigns (using social media)
PublicPolicy
EnvironmentalHousekeeping
GreenEconomyInitiative
GreenEconomyInitiative
SectoralPolicySectoral
HousekeepingHandbook
ConsumerAwareness
EnergyEfficiency
Handbook
WaterEfficiencyHandbook
CorporateEnvironmentalResponsibility
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Benefits• Bolster economic competitiveness and diversification
• Enhance public institutional capability to adopt green economy
• Create decent jobs
• Combat poverty
• Protect economic development from global economic crises and volatilities
• Ensure food, water, and energy security
• Manage natural resources – water, soil, land – sustainably
• Restore and protect ecosystems
• Reduce air pollution and smog from Arab cities ‐‐ improve air quality
• Address climate change
• Maintain social stability and cultural identity
www.afedonline.org [email protected]