About
The challenge
Our economies are designed to deliver productivity and efficiency above all else. In the past, this has generated huge wealth and lifted millions out of poverty. But this prosperity has come at a price - one that now threatens to undo decades of progress.
One million species are facing extinction. The globe is warming faster than expected. Environmental breakdown is destabilising societies and giving rise to dangerous new diseases, like COVID-19. And rising inequality stokes fear, division, and political turmoil.
Scientists agree we have just one decade to prevent irreversible damage to our natural world – on which we all depend.
The solution
It does not have to be this way. Economies are not set in stone: they can be structured, designed and governed differently. A new economy is possible – one that respects nature’s limits, prioritises wellbeing, and moves money where it matters. And these new economies are already emerging.
The Green Economy Tracker charts 21 ‘best in class’ policies, across 5 themes, that are already driving change towards a safer future. These policies already exist around the world, and they are working. But no single country has undertaken them all. When taken together, these 21 policies will drive systemic change in our national economies – let’s hold our governments to account.
21 trackable policies across 6 themes
and a unique policy to track our recovery from this global crisis
Governance
GDP alone says nothing about the health of people or the state of nature. We need new ways to measure & govern our economies – ways that protect nature and enhance wellbeing, as well as producing profits.
Finance
Any economic reform needs finance to make it happen. New regulations and institutions are required, to encourage green and social investment, and penalise ‘brown’ finance and short-term speculation.
Sectors
A new industrial revolution is required to transform our energy, food, and transport sectors. Green businesses – from smallest start-ups to the largest corporations – need the right support to make the transition.
People
The current economic model is leaving too many people behind. The world’s poorest are on the frontlines of climate change, and a future of growing inequality risks fracturing communities. We need policies that contribute to a just transition, with people at its heart.
Nature
Without clean water, healthy soils, pollination and all the other vital services nature provides, our economies and societies cannot function. We must make sure nature is protected, and its true value is recognised within our economies.
Green COVID-19 Recovery
Deploy an ambitious suite of green recovery policies as part of COVID-19 economic support packages, which provide immediate stimulus and drive a structural transition of economic sectors towards a greener, more resilient, and inclusive economic model.