Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development

The term “green economy” can be defined and understood in different ways and within different contexts. In their Green Economy Initiative, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines the term within a broad economic, social and
environmental agenda: a green economy is “one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities”. Others, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) define green growth as a policy focus that emphasizes “environmentally sustainable economic progress to foster low-carbon, socially inclusive development.”