Methodology

The Green Economy Tracker ('the tracker') is a webtool designed by the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) to help civil society ‘track’ green economy policies that are starting to be adopted by nations around the world.

It benchmarks the adoption of 21 key green economy policies, in 41 countries around the world, covering different regions, contexts and levels of economic development. Built around six themes – Governance, Finance, Sectors, Just Transition and Nature – and Green Recovery Measures, the tracker helps to define what greener economies mean in policy terms, and what an ambitious transition can look like in practice.

The GEC has developed the tool based on 15 years of thinking and collaboration with our partners and national experts from around the world. But it is an evolving tool, and we hope that new partners and users will work with us to share progress, contribute data, and track the transition to green and fair economies.

We have updated and evolved the tool at regular intervals, inckuding during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery. We think that the policies and social, environmental and economic responses that the Tracker explores are more relevant than ever. We welcome feedback on how we can improve Tracker to be even better, and to include new examples of how countries are stepping up - or stepping back - their ambition in transitioning to green economies.

What is the tracker for?

The scale and breath of global economic reform needed means that a ‘green economy’ is a complex and changing idea. The tracker aims to help clarify what a green economy transition might look like in practice by providing:

• A structure to better understand the green economy, and a model policy framework demonstrating the kind of reforms that are needed.
• Clear data on which governments that are making ambitious, necessary commitments to reform their economies to protect the planet.
• A platform to crowdsource insights, perspectives and data to help track the reality of national transitions to green and fair economies.
• A benchmark to help civil society push for more ambitious polices, or to hold governments to account to deliver on the commitments they have already made.

We know that building a greener economy is about much more than 'paper policies' and abstract targets. Policies only matter if governments implement their commitments, and people change their behaviour in how they think, consume and act to be more sustainable. As grassroots environmental movements around the world are showing, it is ultimately up to civil society to hold our leaders to account and deliver economic reform.

By helping to track and benchmark the transition to green and fair economies, the tracker hopes to make a contribution to driving systemic change around the world.

Policy scoring methodology

The tracker aims to use a rigorous but simple methodology to benchmark the ambition of green economy policies around the world.

How the scores work

• The GEC has identified five main thematic areas of green economies that need policy reform – Governance, Finance, Sectors, Just Transition and Nature.
• For each theme, the tracker identifies four key policies that are crucial to the transition to green and fair economies; e.g. for the theme of Governance, a policy is a National green economy plan. We have added new policies to the tracker (e.g. Green Trade Practices) to update the framework over time.
• In response to COVID-19, we added 6th theme to the tracker which synthesises a range of sources and information on how countries developed green economic recovery policies. These have applications for ongoing economic stablisation efforts.
• For each policy, the tracker uses a 5-point scale to score how ambitious it might be in supporting a green economy. A score of ‘5’ reflects high ambition, while a ‘1’ represents minimal ambition, with specific scoring criteria described for each policy. These scoring criteria have been updated and elevated as part of a 2025 revamp of the platforms data.
• Each country is assessed against the scoring criteria based on the ambition of the most recent policies, pledges, targets and legislation that are relevant to the policy.
• On each policy page, we distinguish between scores that are Firm, Provisional (there is uncertainty in the sources), and Coming soon to the platform. We also flag scores that have been Revised - lowered, raised or just updated with new sources.
• On each country, page we show more detail - including +1 and -1 numbers showing how scores have changed, and badges showing if a score is Marginal between two scores.

How the scores are decided

• Final decisions on scoring assessments are based on the criteria displayed on each policy page and made by the GEC secretariat, drawing knowledge from the GEC network. Scores are strongly informed by crowdsourced contributions of sources, data, and insights from users of the tracker website and national experts - but all errors and omissions are the responsibility of the GEC. Have your say, tell us what we missed and help us update the tracker using the feedback form.
• The scores rely on as many objective sources as possible, but the contextual assessment of ‘policy ambition’ is ultimately subjective. We acknowledge and embrace this part of the tool.
• The tracker aims to offset its weaknesses by crowdsourcing views and data from as many places as possible, allowing for a collaborative, ‘citizen science’ approach to tracking policies.
• Rather than a single 'snapshot' or report, the tracker aims to be an evolving, improving assessment of green economy policies from a variety of countries and perspectives.

Acknowledgements

The Green Economy Tracker is - and will continue to be - a collaborative endeavour. The Green Economy Coalition secretariat would like to thank all our members and partners for their contributions and support.

Special thanks are owed to our partners eco-union (particularly Francesc Cots, Daniel Lozano, Natalia Cabezas, Gerard Codina, Kristian Petrick, Jeremie Fosse, Eloïse Morales and Salvador Klarwein) and ECODES (particularly Charles Castro and Aranzazu Romero) for their vital assistance in developing the tracker methodology, data gathering, consultation and policy assessment. Rosy Cousins is owed special thanks for her unparalleled efforts gathering data on COVID-19 responses, and collating date for ongoing updating of the platform; as is Nora Nisi (IIED) for support with the 2025 data revisions and ongoing development. We thank the development team at Applied Works (especially Richard Males) for their excellent work designing, building and working with us to evolve the web tool - and David Norman for his work in shaping the initial tracker concept.

We owe enormous thanks to Feisal Rahman, Wame Hambira, Cadu Young, William Scott, Zhanfeng Dong, Andres Calvo, Wojtek Kalinowski, Rita Pandey, Yu-Leng Khor, Jeamme Chia, Ganzorig Gonchigsumlaa, Mohamed Ftouhi, Abdelali Dakkina, Maria Elena Gutierrez, Mafalda Sousa, Francisco Ferreira, Henri Mathieu Lo, Elhadji Mamadou Fall Tall, Georgina Ryan, Keron Niles, Ronald Kaggwa, Tazneed Alam, Victor Anderson, Misgana Elias Kallore, Jan-Erik Thie, Giulia Melina, Abiodun Aderibigbe, Semsa Alic, Bengisu Özenç, Anna Malos, Simon Graham, Rupert Posner, Sasoshi Kojima, Takashi Otsuka, Erin Kawazu, Sarwat Chowdhury, Suh-Yong Chung, Guntur Sutiyono, Petra Christi and Ed Barbier for assisting us in data gathering and refining the national policy assessments. All errors and omissions remain our own.

We thank Steve Bass, Paul Steele, Derek Eaton, Karen Ellis, Ben Milligan, John Hontelez, Sarah Montgomery, Mireille Martini, Benoît Lallemand, Katherine Trebeck, Madhavi Ganeshan, Ferzina Banaji, Tavis Potts, Laura Kelly, Greg Ford, John Maughan, Ruth Mayne, Georgina Mace and Dave Reay for their contributions and guidance. And we thank our many colleagues at GEC national hubs for their advice and ongoing support - especially Elize Hattingh and Carlos Rigolo.

We thank our funders over the years, MAVA Foundation, Wilsdorf Foundation, and the European Commission.

FAQs

Why are these 21 policies and these 41 countries covered?

• The 21 policies covered in the tracker are in no way exhaustive of important green economy policies. They were defined by GEC and our stakeholders to cover key policies under each of the 5 themes of green economy, emerging responses to COVID-19, and to reflect the kind of reforms that are already underway around the world. The most recent policy framework revision added Green Trade Practices, Circular Economy, Green Transport & Mobility, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems; merging and improving some other policies to make space.
• The 20 countries initially assessed by the tracker were chosen to cover i) a diverse sample of different sized economies, different regions, development paths, and approaches to economic and environmental policy, and ii) countries hosting the GEC's 7 national hubs, where green economy dialogues are ongoing. We have expanded to the current 41 countries with these priorities in mind - and have 9 more countries to be added.

Could the tracker cover 'X' country or policy?

• Potentially. We hope to secure interest and resources to be able to add many more countries to the tracker over time. This will allow us to give a much more complete picture of green economy policy ambition around the world.
• For new policies, we will be using the current policy set to ensure comparability across countries in the immediate future. But, given how fast the green economy policy space is moving, we anticipate that an updated set of policies will be needed soon. We hope to secure resources to allow us to represent even more refined policy priorities and higher levels of ambition around the world.
• If you have a suggestion for a policy or country that should be added to the tracker, or a partner to work with, then please let us know.

How is the tracker updated?

• At launch, the tracker's assessments are based on initial data created by the GEC and its partners through consultation. This data is inevitably incomplete, partial and subjective. By using the feedback form, users and civil society organisations from around the world can submit new information, sources, and perspectives for inclusion in the tracker. The GEC secretariat will liaise with contributors to incorporate submissions into the tracker assessments and update them over time - transparently identifying where scores are changed or sources updated. We think of this collaborative approach as following the principles of citizen science to crowdsource better data and more diverse perspectives
   

How can I contribute or feedback on the tracker?

• We welcome all input and feedback on the tracker - be it criticism, new information, questions or sources for more recent data.
• Please use the 'Have your say' button on each page and complete the form, or alternatively email chris.hopkins[at]greeneconomycoalition.org

Coming in the future:

• How can I best use the tracker?
• How can my community make best use of the tracker?
• How does the tracker compliment other tools?

Policy Annex

Text of our 21 key green economy policies, across 6 themes - Governance, Finance, Sectors, People, and Nature - and Green Recovery.
See specific policy pages for further details and scoring gradations.
 

National green economy planning (Governance – 1.1)
Implement a national green economy plan (or plans) to coordinate environmental and economic policies towards a sustainable and inclusive net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Inclusive Corporate Governance (Governance – 1.2)
A national strategy that champions inclusive corporate governance, such as employee involvement in decision-making, gender representation on boards, and effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participatory Policymaking (Governance – 1.3)
Mandate transparent and comprehensive consultation and assessment of government policies and proposed legislation, focusing on their impact on socially marginalised groups (women, indigenous people & local communities (IP/LCs), and people with disabilities; amongst others.)

Beyond GDP (Governance – 1.4)
Mandate integration of beyond gross domestic product (GDP) measures into national planning and the policy cycle, such as wellbeing metrics or a national comprehensive wealth framework - covering human, social, natural, financial/physical capitals.

Green Finance & Banking (Finance – 2.1)
Commit to prioritising sustainable finance reform, incentives for long-term public and private investment, and a rigorous and comprehensive financial stress-testing structure for banks and financial institutions.

Greening Fiscal & Monetary Policy (Finance – 2.2)
Propose fiscal and monetary reforms that will minimise environmental systemic risk, based on sustainability reviews of government budgets, spending and monetary policy.

Green Trade Practices (Finance – 2.3)
Integrate sustainable development priorities into all trade agreements and investment partnerships, including interoperability of robust green taxonomy & carbon pricing regimes, high standards & low barriers for environmental goods & services, and UNFCCC-aligned market access exemptions linked to common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR).

Pricing Carbon (Finance – 2.4)
Provide strong and predictable carbon prices through carbon taxation or trading schemes at the national or regional level, and legislate for UNFCCC national determined contribution (NDC) aligned carbon budgets.

Cross-Sectoral Planning (Sectors – 3.1)
Commission an independent, cross-sector body to develop and coordinate green economy policy across key sectors; including agri-food, energy, transport, buildings, waste etc.

Circular Economy (Sectors – 3.2)
Adopt a circular economy roadmap or action plan, with ambitious standards for reuse, public procurement, and circular enterprise & capacity building; alongslide clear targets for increased economy-wide circular material use rate (CMUR).

Green Transport & Mobility (Sectors – 3.3)
Set ambitious investment and expansion targets for electrified public transport provision, alongside high environmental standards for private vehicles and incentives for zero-emission mobility.

Clean Energy (Sectors – 3.4)
Adopt ambitious medium and long-term targets for share of renewable energy in final consumption, and commit to a corresponding clean energy investment plan.

Green Job Creation (People – 4.1)
Incentivise the creation of decent green jobs, and support citizens & communities to access new livelihoods - especially those employed in brown sectors & industries.

Just Transition Frameworks (People – 4.2)
Prioritise an integrated approach to just transition, with implementation frameworks for green policies that ensure socially and economically just outcomes for affected communities and sectors.

Greening MSMEs & Social Enterprise (People – 4.3)
Provide legal form and targeted financial, training and regulatory support to micro, small & medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and social enterprises that are operating or developing green and sustainable business models.

Inclusive Social Protection (People – 4.4)
Broaden citizen participation in the new green economy through piloting new approaches to social protection, basic income, and community ownership.

Ocean & Land conservation (Nature – 5.1)
Commit to achieve national terrestrial and marine conservation targets (SDG 14 [Life Below Water], SDG 15 [Life on Land], Global Biodiversity Framework [GBF]) and publish a credible National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) implementation strategy with progress assessments.

Natural Capital Accounting (Nature – 5.2)
Produce comprehensive natural capital accounts that distinguish between value of nature to communities, the economy, and the global environment - and governance structures to give independent expert advice to government on natural capital aspects of budgets, planning, and infrastructure decisions.

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Nature – 5.3)
Deliver against a national food systems strategy that aligns with SDGs 2 and 12 in upholding 2030 targets for healthy diets, sustainable agriculture, waste minimisation, and reform of harmful subsidies.

Nature Finance (Nature – 5.4)
Replace fiscal and monetary policies that damage nature with nature positive finance instruments that restore biodiversity, and empower indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) to steward nature; with substantial targeted investment.

Green Recovery Measures (6.0)
Deploy an ambitious suite of green policies as part of economic recovery and stimulus packages, ensuring economic stabilisation policy contributes to structural progress towards greener, more resilient, and inclusive economic models.