World officials discuss green policies for developed and developing nations

SciDev.net : What “green economy” means to different countries was discussed by representatives from more than 40 countries at a meeting held 3–4 October in New Delhi, India. Developed countries tend to focus on a low-carbon growth model, even it if involves high-end, costly technologies, whereas developing countries are more likely to aim for a sustainable, natural-resource-based model. Other topics included integrating food and energy security with green economy strategies and barring developed countries from imposing “green protectionism,” or trade barriers, on goods whose production is based on high-carbon-emission technologies. The event was one of several that will lead up to the major United Nations conference on sustainable development, Rio+20 , set to take place in June 2012.