This paper explains why the Republic of Korea adopted green growth as a new national development strategy and details how it has been implemented by the government. The author suggests that Korea adopted green growth as a new economic growth paradigm to create new growth engines and jobs through green technology and the greening of industries. The green growth path was seen as essential not just for sustainable economic growth, but also to improve the quality of life and well-being of the Korean people. The paper also details how green growth was implemented by the Korean government; draws together key outcomes to date from Korea’s green growth policy; and suggests lessons learnt which could be applied to other countries.
This paper is the first from the Korea Green Growth Partnership and World Bank's new "Green Growth in Action, Knoweldge Note Series".
Korea’s bold initiative, the Green Growth Plan (GGP), spanning 2009 to 2013 with fiscal outlay of US$84 billion, posed a significant challenge to sustainable public finance management in Korea.
This report seeks to document international best practices in adopting green growth strategies. It explores why some countries decide to pursue a green growth path and how they transition to such a pathway.
The greening of urban development is finally receiving increased attention. This is long overdue, as the globe’s burgeoning urban population is using ever more resources and energy, which intensifies environmental pressures.
Water security and water quality affect numerous economic sectors and areas: agriculture, energy, disaster management, and others. Countries need balanced and integrated approaches that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable.