In the Media
Delivering the promise of the ‘Green Economy’
July 09, 2012
The Jakarta Post
From June 20 to 22, more than one hundred of the world’s leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro to discuss the future of the earth. The summit adopted an outcome agreement called “The Future We Want”, which primarily encourages the countries to implement a Green Economy within their overall economic policies. Many policy makers – albeit not all – see the Green Economy as an answer for future development, given the fact that economic growth in Asia, South America and Africa has had a deteriorating impact on the environment.
Even prior to the Rio+20 summit, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had given a statement that called on the world’s leaders to adopt the Green Economy as a new paradigm in development, which should be adopted immediately. His call won plaudits from many developed countries.
Despite the excitement for this newly proposed concept, the Green Economy has been heavily criticized by a number of communities. There are at least two main criticisms aimed at the concept. First, the Green Economy is seen merely as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, allowing capitalists to exploit Mother Earth. This criticism shows a strong bias toward the private sector, especially corporations that are seen as the main actors in implementing the concept. Second, it is criticized for the use of market instruments through the commoditization of nature in combating global warming as described via the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program, which are not entirely correct.
Hence, the question we need to address is, “How should we implement the Green Economy so that it delivers what it promises?”
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Keywords: Asia, green economy, Indonesia, REDD, Rio 20