As governments around the world earmark billions of dollars in unprecedented stimulus packages and ask whether it will be enough to avoid a long and difficult recession, another important question comes to mind: how can we ensure these stimulus packages include targets on environmental performance, social cohesion, and economic governance?

Lilibeth Acosta-Michlik, Senior Analyst in the Green Growth Performance Measurement (GGPM) at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), presented the 2019 Green Growth Index at the margins of the Seventh GGKP Annual Conference, “Achieving Global Energy Transformation”. The Index covers 115 countries and builds on 36 indicators for four green growth dimensions including efficient and sustainable resource use, natural capital protection, green economic opportunities, and social inclusion.

“This is not tree hugging. This is business. With customers and business in mind, the private sector needs to reallocate capital to inclusive green solutions.,” says Anders Langworth, Founder of the Bankers for Climate initiative and Deputy Head of Nordea Group Sustainable Finance.

The implementation of climate resilient low-emission development (LED) strategies is essential for ensuring the integrity and performance of LED programs and projects in the face of evolving climate impacts. However, most LED planners do not yet routinely consider the potential impacts of climate change, such as risks associated with extreme weather events or climate trends. Fortunately, in the past several years, a variety of tools have been developed by development partners (e.g., USAID, World Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank) that planners can now use to determine whether and to what extent climate change may impact their investments.

The Resource Efficiency and Climate Action Initiative, launched under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) at the German Corporation for International Development Cooperation (GIZ), has published five policy briefs on key themes related to resource efficiency, including digital transformations, climate protection, infrastructure and buildings, and resource efficiency policies. This blog links to the briefs and discusses the initiative's achievements so far.

How do we gear up sustainability thinking in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)? A recent study looks at three case studies of WWTPs in Germany from the managerial perspective, offering in-depth understanding of the status quo and possibility of improving environmental management in public organisations.

In order to make wise investment choices, financial institutions need to understand "how environmental change creates risks and opportunities for businesses and those that fund them." A new product, ENCORE (Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure), allows users to do just that by demonstrating how the economy depends on nature.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH / German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) invited representatives from 11 emerging economies on a four-day study tour to discuss and learn strategies and good-practices for fostering resource efficiency in the public and private sector.

Digitization and advanced technologies have a key role to play in addressing a range of sustainability challenges, including sustainable e-waste management. E-WasteExchange.com is a digital platform that allows businesses and individuals to transfer their e-waste to government authorized e-waste recyclers.

The UN Environment / TEEB Initiative (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) is collaborating with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and national partners to develop ecological accounts for South Africa. These accounts will enable decision makers to measure the long-term economic costs of degrading ecosystems to develop specific industries and compare them with the short-term economic gains of developing these industries.