Abstract
Chapter1 sets out to define the green economy within a ‘post-carbon society’ and contemplates the emerging policy-practice gap from a regional perspective. The authors go on to discuss the challenges and opportunities exposed by this changing economic landscape, and consider green innovativeness as a catalyst for SME-driven regional sustainability. The chapter concludes with a discussion around the green economy transition process in regional SMEs and incumbent capabilities; a long-term and forward-oriented business focus, outward-looking sustainability planning ethos, and concentration on innovation capability enhancement. Combined, these capabilities promote socially inclusive and collective commercial activities to stimulate green growth, while protecting the environment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Colby, M. 1991. Environmental management in development: the evolution of paradigms. Ecological Economics, 3, 193–213.
Comhar Sustainable Development Council. 2009. Towards a Green New Deal for Ireland. [Internet] Available at: http://files.nesc.ie/comhar_archive/Comharpercent20Reports/Comhar_25_2009.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
Ernst and Young, 2012. Cleantech Ireland: An Assessment of the Sector and the Impact on the National Economy. Ireland: Ernest and Young in conjunction with Oxford Economics.
European Commission. 2007. Renewable Energy Road Map — Renewable Energies in the 21st Century: Building a More Sustainable Future. [Internet] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/energy_policy/doc/03_renewable_energy_roadmap_en.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
European Commission. 2010. Making Eco-Innovation Happen in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. 8th European Forum on Eco-Innovation, 20–21 April 2010, Bilbao, Spain. [Internet] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/ecoinnovation2010/1st_forum/pdf/case_studies.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2014].
European Commission. 2011. Energy Efficiency Plan. [Internet] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/action_plan/action_plan_en.htm [Accessed 2 April 2014].
European Commission. 2012. EU SMEs in 2012: At the Crossroads — Annual Report on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the EU, 2011/12. Rotterdam, September 2012. [Internet] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/performance-review/files/supporting-documents/2012/annualreport_en.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
European Commission. 2013. SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets. [Internet] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_381_en.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
European Energy Agency. 2012. Environmental Indicator Report 2012 — Ecosystem Resilience and Resource Efficiency in a Green Economy in Europe. EEA, Copenhagen. Pages: 151, ISBN 978–92-9213–315-3.
European Environment Agency. 2013. Towards a Green Economy in Europe: EU Environmental Policy Targets and Objectives 2010–2050. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, EEA Report No. 8/2013.
Forfás and InterTradeIreland. 2008. Environmental Goods and Services Sector on the Island of Ireland — Enterprise Opportunities and Policy Implications. [Internet] Available at: http://www.intertradeireland.com/media/Environmentalpercent20Goodspercent20andpercent20Servicespercent20Sectorpercent20onpercent20thepercent20Islandpercent20ofpercent20Irelandpercent20Finalpercent20Report.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2014].
Forfás. 2011. Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the High Level Group on Green Enterprise. [Internet] Available at: http://www.forfas.ie/media/forfas-110318-green_enterprise.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
Government of Ireland. 2008. Building Ireland’s Smart Economy — A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal. ISBN 978–1-4064–2244-3, [Internet]. Available at: http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/BuildingIrelandsSmartEconomy.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
Government of Ireland. 2011. National Recovery Plan 2011–2014. [Internet] Available at: http://www.budget.gov.ie/Thepercent20Nationalpercent20Recoverypercent20Planpercent202011–2014.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2014].
Government of Ireland. 2012. Delivering Our Green Potential — Government Policy Statement on Growth and Employment in the Green Economy. [Internet] Available at: https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/ruralenvironment/environment/bioenergyscheme/DeliveringOurGreenPotential171212.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
Government of Ireland. 2013. Progress Report on Green Growth and Employment in the Green Economy in Ireland. [Internet] Available at: http://www.djei.ie/publications/enterprise/2013/Green_Economy_Progress_Report_2013.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2014].
Green Economy Coalition. 2012. Submission to UNCSD Zero Draft Text. [Internet] Available at: http://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/sites/greeneconomycoalition.org/files/documents/Greenpercent2oEconomypercent20Coalitionpercent20Zeropercent20Draftpercent20textpercent20percent28finalpercent29_0.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2014].
Green Growth Leaders. 2011. Sha** the Green Growth Economy — A Review of the Public Debate and the Prospects for Green Growth. EEA, Copenhagen. [Internet] Available at: http://www.sustainia.me/resources/publications/mm/Sha**-the-Green-Growth-Economy_report.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2014].
International Chamber of Commerce. 2012. Green Economy Roadmap — A Guide for Business, Policymakers and Society. [Internet] Available at: http://www.iccwbo.org/products-and-services/trade-facilitation/green-economy-roadmap/ [Accessed 12 February 2014].
International Energy Agency, IEA. 2009. World Energy Outlook, IEA, Paris, [Internet] Available at: http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/media/weowebsite/2009/WEO2009.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
International Institute for Sustainable Development, IISD. 1997. Assessing Sustainable Development — Principles in Practice. [Internet] Available at: http://www.iisd.org/pdf/bellagio.pdf [Accessed 2 April 20141.
IPCC. 2014. Summary for policymakers. O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds) Climate Change 2014, Mitigation of Climate Change: Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate, Cambridge, UK, and New York: Cambridge University Press.
OECD. 2011a Fostering Innovation for Green Growth, Pages: 130, ISBN 978–92-64–11991-8. [Internet] Available at: http://wwwkeepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/science-and-technology/fostering-innovation-for-green-growth_9789264119925-en#page9 [Accessed 20 March 2014].
OECD. 2011b. Towards Green Growth, Number of pages: 142 ISBN: 9789264994970. [Internet] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/48224539.pdf [Accessed 20 March 2014].
OECD. 2012. OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 — The Consequences of Inaction. OECD Publishing. ISBN 978–92-64–12216-1 (print), ISBN 978–92-64–12224-6 (PDF) [Accessed 20 March 2014].
OECD. 2013. Working Paper Series. [Internet] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/industry/publicationsdocuments/workingpapers/ [Accessed 20 March 2014].
OECD. 2014. OECD Environmental Performance Review of Ireland — Mid-term Progress Report. Paris, 26–28 March. [Internet] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/env/country-reviews/Ireland_EPR_MidTermReport.pdf [Accessed 2 April 2014].
United Nations, 2010. The Millennium Development Goals Report. New York: MDG Report 2010 En 20100604 r14 Final.indd 1.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Division for Sustainable Development. 2012. A Guidebook to the Green Economy Issue 1: Green Economy, Green Growth, and Low-Carbon Development — History, Definitions and a Guide to Recent Publications. Prepared by Cameron Allen and Stuart Clouth. August 2012. [Internet] Available at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/GEpercent20Guidebook.pdf [Accessed 12 January 2014].
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2011. Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication — A Synthesis for Policy Makers. [Internet] Available at: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/documents/ger/ger_final_dec_2011/Green%20EconomyReport_Final_Dec2011.pdf [Accessed 12 January 2014].
United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP. 2014. Green Economy Initiative. [Internet] Available at: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/aboutgei/whatisgei/tabid/29784/default.aspx [Accessed 20 March 2014].
Welsh Government. 2011. The Welsh Government’s Legislative Programme 2011–16. [Internet] Available at: http://wales.gov.uk/legislation/programme/?lang=en [Accessed 7 February 2014].
Welsh Government. 2014a. Well-being of Future Generations [Wales] bill. [Internet] Available at: http://wales.gov.uk/legisiation/programme/assemblybills/future-generations/?lang=en [Accessed 30 January 2014].
Welsh Government. 2014b. One Wales One Planet — The Sustainable Development Annual Report 2013–14. [Internet] Available at: http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-business-fourth-assembly-laid-docs/gen-ld9791-e.pdf?langoption=3&ttl=GEN-LD9791percent20-percent20Onepercent20Walespercent3Apercent20Onepercent20Planetpercent20-percent20Thepercent20Sustainablepercent20Developmentpercent20Annualpercent20Reportpercent202013–14 [Accessed 20 February 2014].
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2015 S. Bond, H. Gittins, G. Griffiths, D. Harrington, D. Joyner, M. McDonald, E. Owens and M. Walsh
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bond, S. et al. (2015). The Green Economy. In: Kelliher, F., Reinl, L. (eds) Green Innovation and Future Technology: Engaging Regional SMEs in the Green Economy. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137479822_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137479822_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-50255-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-47982-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Business & Management CollectionBusiness and Management (R0)