Theorems and Practices of Green Economy

In recent years, to deal with the accelerating adverse impacts of climate change and resource exploitation caused by human activities, new concepts of economic development are emerging and discussed around the world. Among them, “green economy” is the most comprehensive term and well-accepted concept that is directly related to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs). With the mission to eliminate the externalities of industry or human development, green economy has developed many mechanisms to regulate economic behaviors or lead industry to sustainable production and innovative business models such as the financial schemes of carbon tax and financial subsidy. In the international society, the environment and trade negotiations around the world are concurrently undergoing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is also promoting Green Growth as the strategy for green economy while the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) is advocating “Green New Deal.” The common objective of these policies and programs is to overcome environmental crisis such as climate change but also maintain global productivity. On the domestic side, the production and implementation of green products and services are also being promoted and encouraged through different schemes by governments in order to fulfill their obligations of carbon emission reduction. While environmental protection and economic development have been long contradictive to each other in human societies. Once the green industry or greener production can be developed, the status of green economy can step forward in the future.