Agenda 2030 and the green economy

The Agenda 2030 and green economy thinking have a shared UN history and similar approaches to the contemporary global challenges. This chapter presents the interrelations between the two, with an overarching aim to inspire discussions on what the economic dimension of sustainability implies. The idea of green economy relates to a core controversy of sustainable development - the link between environment and economy. Agenda 2030 includes a goal on economic growth, SDG 8, that builds on the idea of decoupling as a feasible way forward, a fundamental presumption also in green economy that makes them both subject to similar criticism. For the future, integrated approaches to economy, environment and social justice will most likely influence the way green economy is framed. Following that line, in order to contribute to a prosperous future, research into green economy would benefit from a development of imaginative thinking, cross-disciplinary collaborations and transdisciplinary interactions.