{"id":3359,"date":"2019-06-28T07:44:08","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T07:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africasustainabilitymatters.com\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2026-01-11T05:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:30:22","slug":"green-economy-a-cornerstone-to-sustainable-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/2019\/06\/28\/green-economy-a-cornerstone-to-sustainable-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Economy: A Cornerstone to Sustainable Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the years, economic\ngrowth trends and environmental sustainability stood a paradox, despite both\nworking for an improved life, one demands exploitation of the available\nresources for an impactful development, while the other calls for the same\nresource conservation, for life sustenance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid economic growth has\nbeen the main goal of any government economic policy. To maximize GDP and\nprofits, different economies have evolved mechanisms to optimize the potential\nof the available natural resources. \nTechnological developments have greatly exacerbated the economies\nefforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sustainable development demands both quality of life improvement and an equal measure of environment protection \/image source: Face2FaceAfrica <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Economic growth is\nassociated with increased production and consumption patterns, dependent on the\nearth limited resources, ranging from non-renewable energy sources, natural\nforests, arable land, and water resource. Despite the lucrative benefits of\nimproved per capita income, higher GDP and huge business profits, economic\ngrowth bids come with huge burdens of environment pollution, overexploitation\nof natural resources, loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation, and climate\nchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deforestation burden forest resource. image courtesy eco-business.com <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Economic policies have in\nhistory predominantly focused on increased GDP and optimizing on profits. But\nthe fact that we own no planet B, to offer a parallel run on economy and\necosystems, necessitate a revolutionary mindset to help develop an economy for\nboth human and ecological wellbeing. Started as a simple concern from\nenvironmental activists, a few politicians and think tanks green growth is now a\nnotable issue in the international arena, governments, and investors. Organization\nof Economic and Cooperation Development(OECD) defines green growth as taking measures conducive to growth and\neconomic development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the\nresources and environmental services that contribute to the country\u2019s\nprosperity<\/em>.\u201d A system characterized by a considerable increase in investment\nin sectors of the economy that significantly contribute to decreased ecological\ndeficiencies and environmental threats.  Such\ninclude investments in renewable energy sources, low-emission transport,\nenergy-efficient building, clean technologies, improved waste management,\nforest management, sustainable agriculture, and fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a continent to be\nsustainably developed, every community needs to be economically, socially and\nenvironmentally healthy. These factors exist mutually inclusively and neglect\non either implies a failed society. Integrated\nsolutions<\/a> rather than fragmented approaches are necessary for\nsustainable community growth. \u201cIn order to achieve healthy communities we need\nclean air, natural resources, and non-toxic environment.\u201d Martin Tobin, Chief\nExecutive of the European Recycling Platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nGreen Growth Strategy is now a major outlook for countries keen to reduce their\neconomic negative impacts on the environment. South Korea has taken a spearhead\nand serves as an ambassador of green growth.  Africa too is joining the team and transitioning\nto a green economy.  Evident through\nAfrican leaders and government commitment to the African Green Economy\nPartnership (AGEP), adopted at the 14th African Ministerial Conference on the\nEnvironment (AMCEN), that aim at moving Africa towards the Green Economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

African\ncountries have undertaken policy reforms and green investments in the interest\nto address poverty, hunger, climate change, and natural resource degradation.\nEgypt has been at the forefront to promote energy efficiency, while Ghana is at\nthe lookout to develop renewable energy export capacity, South Africa have\nlikewise spearhead financing of green initiatives. Though the pathways taken is\nmore individualized, the continent is jointly at the forefront to recognize the\npotential of shifting to a green, low carbon and inclusive economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainability is\neveryone\u2019s job and not a corporate department and every individual must\nrecognize their own responsibility and act accordingly if we are to\nsuccessfully achieve the goals of the various economic development plans.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governments, global\nleaders, investors need to consider development potential that increases the\nlife quality of the population and complementary ensures lasting benefits for\nthe country\u2019s future generations.  Sustainability of natural resources\nand environmental condition must serve to prove that the benefit of growth is\ndistributed throughout the population and environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the years, economic growth trends and environmental sustainability stood a paradox, despite both working for an improved life, one demands exploitation of the available resources for an impactful development,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-responsibility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}