Published in 1989, Blueprint for a Green Economy presented, for the first time, practical policy measures for 'greening' modern economies and putting them on a path to sustainable development. The current book, written by two of the original authors, revisits and updates its main messages by asking, first, what has been achieved in the past twenty years, and second, what more needs to be done to generate a truly 'green economy' in the twenty-first century?
Blueprint for a Green Economy had one over-arching theme – making economies more sustainable requires urgent progress in three key policy areas: valuing the environment, accounting for the environment and incentives for environmental improvement. Today, with the threat of global warming, the decline in major ecosystems and their services, and fears over energy security, achieving these goals is even more vital. The current book first summarizes the main messages from the first and explains why, given rapid and widespread global environmental degradation, they are still relevant. It then examines the progress since then in implementing policies and other measures to improve environmental valuation, accounting and incentives. Although much has been accomplished, additional advances are still required to green economies successfully. A New Blueprint for a Green Economy highlights the new policies and approaches needed for economic management of today's environmental concerns.
Over twenty years later, A New Blueprint for a Green Economy once again emphasizes practical policies for greening modern economies, and explains why such an economic roadmap to a greener future is essential, if modern economies are to develop successfully and sustainably.
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Blueprint for a Green Economy in the 21st Century
3. Sustainable Development
4. Progress in Valuing the Environment
5. Accounting for the Environment and Sustainability
6. Progress in Prices and Incentives for Environmental Improvement
7. Towards a Green Global Economy
8. Conclusion
Edward B. Barbier is the John S Bugas Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming. He was formerly at the Environment Department, University of York, UK and previously served as Director of the London Environmental Economics Centre of the International Institute for Environment and Development and University College London. Professor Barbier has over 25 years experience as an environmental and resource economist, working on natural resource and development issues as well as the interface between economics and ecology. He has served as a consultant and policy analyst for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations and the World Bank.
Anil Markandya has worked in the field of resource and environmental economics for over thirty years and is acknowledged as one of the authorities in this area. He graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master of Science in Econometrics in 1968 and was awarded his PhD from the same institution on the Economics of the Environment in 1975. He has published widely in the areas of climate change, environmental valuation, biodiversity, environmental policy, energy and environment, green accounting, macroeconomics and trade. Some of his best-known works include, Blueprint for a Green Economy (awarded the Mazzotti Prize for contributions to ecology in 1991), Green Accounting in Europe, Reconciling Trade and Development and Cleaning the Ganges. He has held academic positions at the universities of Princeton, Berkeley and Harvard in the US and at University College London and Bath University in the UK. He was a lead author for Chapters of the 3rd and 4th IPCC Assessment Reports on Climate Change, which were awarded a share of the Nobel Peace in 2007. Recently he was nominated by Cambridge University as one of the top 50 contributors to thinking on sustainability in the world.