By Laurèn DeMates-
The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate made its debut in New York September 24th, 2013. The commission is a partnership of seven economic and policy institutes, overseen by an international council, which includes government, business, and finance leaders from 14 countries, and headed by former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón. The first deliverable from the new commission is The New Climate Economy project to make policy recommendations that balance economic growth and address climate change risk; set for September 2014. This balance is the holy grail of climate change policy as it integrates climate change mitigation and adaptation into the confines of our current economic and political systems. Even if this commission doesn’t deliver ‘how to’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy recommendations, there is great value in this approach. Continued drive for economic growth still overpowers most other policy prescriptions and probably will for a long time if not indefinitely. However, the findings from a new, but highly visible and international commission may just provide the substantial economic evidence and policy direction that global leaders need to leverage for stronger national and international climate policies.
Countries represented in the commission: Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Korea, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom
The Sustainability Co-Op 