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The economic crisis has spread around the world, leaving businesses, investors, and citizens reeling. As governments scramble to ease the strain, many green initiatives, like funding alternative energy development and enforcing more stringent emissions regulations, have moved from the spotlight. However, one group is arguing that the solution to the world's economic problems is the further development of green industries.
Proposed by Achim Steiner, executive secretary of the United Nations Environmental program, the Green New Deal would attempt to stimulate global economic growth by investing in green industries, hopefully generating new jobs and revenues. Proposed industries to receive funding would include renewable energy, clean tech, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem management.
Steiner argues that these efforts will not only stimulate economies but help reduce pollution, dependence on oil imports, protect forests and "nature-based infrastructure," and help fight climate change. The goal is not only to follow Franklin Roosevelt's economic policy as a model, but to heed his advice that "the nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."
For more environmental news, check out Focus Earth: October 25, 2008 and Focus on Focus Earth: eBay Bans Illegal Animal Products.
Read more about the green economy:
A Green New Deal: 100 Months to Save the World from Climate Change
Imagine: Another "New Deal" - Greener Than The First
Green Economy's a Good Economy in California
How to Go Green: Job Searches
Wanna Get Government Cash for Your Green Commute?
