Creation of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform [1]
A new major step towards the development of global awareness and collaboration on green initiatives and issues pertaining to the environment and the economy was recently created by four principal green organizations. The Global Green Growth [2] Initiative, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development signed an agreement to generate a Green Growth Knowledge Platform. These four organizations signed the initiative at the first Green Growth Knowledge Platform conference. Leading green experts and intellectuals were in attendance. This new Green Growth Knowledge Platform will help strengthen decision-making and policy implementation in regards to green assessments for businesses and government agencies. This platform will provide individuals with a resource for information, support, and analysis on a variety of different global environmental issues such as sustainability, green growth, green initiatives [2], and global warming. The Green Growth Knowledge Platform will also focus on the effect of environmental issues on economic and political matters in the changing societal climate of the world. Richard Samans, the Executive Director of the Global Green Growth Institute stated, “This MoU marks the formal launch of essential international cooperation on testing, exploring, and refining policies and actions on green growth for practical implementation in both developed and developing countries.”
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Secretary-General Angel Gurría explained, “Governments seeking to re-ignite growth after the crisis…should harness innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship to drive the shift to greener economies. We must intensify our efforts to move towards green growth to preserve natural capital and reduce pollution. It will be essential to avoid path dependency by breaking old habits of consumption and investing in new technology and infrastructure. The Green Growth Knowledge Platform will be key for facilitating collaboration among our four institutions, to provide governments with the best possible tools to achieve this goal.”