Greening the recovery: the report of the UCL Green Economy Commission

Ekins, P; Baddeley, M; Medda, F; Nesheim, L; Radosevic, S; (2014) Greening the recovery: the report of the UCL Green Economy Commission. OVPR/UCL Public Policy: University College London. 

The UK urgently needs a green economic strategy to move towards low-carbon prosperity, resource security and environmental quality, says a new report published today by UCL’s Green Economy Policy Commission. 

The Commission (chaired by UCL ISR Director, Professor Paul Ekins) and drawn from a range of academic disciplines across UCL – argues that the UK’s current situation of climate instability and increasing resource constraints mean that decisive action is urgently needed by the UK government to green the economy. 

Greening the Recovery argues that there is a window of opportunity for policies that acknowledge future resource constraints and deliver more sustainable growth. Such policies will address fundamental structural weaknesses and achieve a sounder economic recovery. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the key elements of a green economy. It emphasises that a green economy is not about niche sectors, but about the whole economy. As well as identifying the major challenges for the UK,  it makes a number of specific recommendations for policies to address these.

Greening the Recovery identifies innovation, infrastructure and information as the key areas in which policies are needed to support a green economy, in addition to arguing for environmental fiscal reform and specific policies at UK and EU level to support resource efficiency. 

Read the full press release here
Read the Commission's final report
Watch a video of the launch event