Developing a green financing system for China is crucial to speed the transition to a green economy, according to a new report. And while the cost of such a move enters the hundreds of billions of dollars, the pay off in terms of increasing quality of life and future growth prospects for the country is well worth the effort.
According to Chris Beaton, Research and Communications Officer at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): “Fossil-fuel consumer subsidies hamper economic growth by taking away scarce resources that could be put to better purposes.”
In this op-ed for China Daily, IISD Senior Fellow and Associate Simon Zadek talks about China's greening of its financial market reform.
"Despite Canada’s faltering reputation on the climate change front, Philip Gass, a senior energy researcher with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, credited the Harper government with pledging $300-million to the Green Climate Fund at the end of the G20 summit. “We’re very happy to see that contribution, but we’ve still not seen an emissions reduction target yet,” Gass said."
"It's important that people feel good about their city," said Charles Thrift, a project manager at the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), an independent policy research organization. "The research that we've put together here shows that how we perceive our city is a factor in how we live in our city."