Sustainable Growth Newswire
EPF compiles a selection of policy oriented-research from around the globe pertaining to its policy initiatives. To receive a weekly email of the newswire, please subscribe to our newsletter
Fiscal Transfers in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities for Financing Sustainable Development at the Local Level
Much of the public expenditure critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – such as expenditures on rural roads, irrigation, health and education – is managed locally by subnational governments (SNGs). Due to the low own-source revenue capacity of most subnational governments, fiscal transfers from central governments are essential for making these expenditures possible and thus for making progress to achieve the SDGs. The resourcing, design and administration of the various fiscal transfer instruments, the way they are allocated…
Financing Low-Carbon Transitions Through Carbon Pricing and Green Bonds
To finance the transition to low-carbon economies required to mitigate climate change, countries are increasingly using a combination of carbon pricing and green bonds. This paper studies the reasoning behind such policy mixes and the economic interaction effects that result from these different policy instruments. The paper models these interactions using an inter-temporal model that proposes burden sharing between current and future generations. The World Bank Group | Financing Low-Carbon Transitions Through Carbon Pricing and Green Bonds
The Growth of Carbon Markets in Asia: The Potential Challenges for Future Development
We provide comprehensive details on the carbon markets across the major Asian economies and with specific attention to the Chinese carbon market. We discuss in particular the carbon markets across the major northeast (People’s Republic of China [PRC], Japan, and Republic of Korea) Asian economies. The evidence from the analysis confirms unidirectional influence from the Shanghai carbon emission market on the Shenzhen carbon emission market. Our findings shed light on the carbon emission markets’ policy formulation for the Chinese government…
Lack of Reliable and Affordable Water a Hidden Threat for Urban Households of the Global South
While much attention has been focused on dramatic “day zero” moments in big cities like Cape Town and Chennai, at the household and family level, the tap runs dry much more often than previously thought. Vast segments of the urban population in the global south lack access to safe, reliable and affordable water for daily use, according to new research from WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. For these households, every day can be day zero. World Resource Institute |…
The Global Fuel Economy Initiative and the Global Climate Partnership Fund Working Together Towards Sustainable Mobility
Mobility is a key feature of modern society, and advancements in transportation technology have been an important driver for social and economic development, since the first steam locomotives started transporting people and goods in the late eighteenth century. Nowadays, there are more than 1 billion cars on the roads. Land-based passenger travel accounts for approximately 12.5 per cent of the global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion and is the main reason for poor air quality in cities. Even with the increase…
Private Sector Engagement at the 2019 UN Environment Assembly
The UN Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. Created in June 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the Assembly convenes all 193 UN member States to tackle our most critical global environmental challenges. Through its resolutions and calls to action, it provides the global leadership and inter-governmental action so critical to the health of our planet. But action needs broad-based public-private partnerships. It is these partnerships which have the capacity to…
How to Develop a Non-Motorized Transport Strategy
Non-motorised transport offers basic mobility, affordable transport, access to public transport and health benefits. Improving the convenience, comfort and safety of walking and cycling reduces the demand for travel by personal motor vehicles, helping to alleviate the critical traffic challenges facing many cities. As zero-emission modes, walking and cycling are critical efforts in reducing the harmful local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. UN Environment | How to Develop a Non-Motorized Transport Strategy
Public-Private Partnership Needed to Address Infrastructure Financing Challenges: Indranee
The current rate of public sector financing for infrastructure projects is insufficient and unsustainable for Asia's significant growing infrastructure needs, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Friday. Government financing accounts for 90 per cent of infrastructure expenditure in Asia, compared to 70 per cent in emerging markets and 40 per cent worldwide, she noted. The Straits Time | Public-Private Partnership Needed to Address Infrastructure Financing Challenges: Indranee