Low-carbon energy infrastructure and land use
The Task Force on Low-Carbon Economic Prosperity, convened by the World Economic Forum at the invitation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters 2009, brings together over 80 global companies and over 40 experts and organizations.
As governments of the major economies are gearing up to spend a combined amount of about US$ 3 trillion to stimulate growth, one thing is crystal clear: to ensure our future prosperity, we need a high-growth and low-carbon economy. To that end, a set of practical policies and incentives is urgently required to help remove the obstacles to more low-carbon finance and technology. This will enable green recovery packages to have maximum impact both in the short-term and into the future. But this is not a task for governments alone. As the key delivery agent of low-carbon investment, innovation, products and services, business needs to have a voice at the table.
Post Copenhagen, governments are urgently seeking practical and scalable public-private models for “bottom-up” low-carbon growth, especially in developing countries.
Finding ways to mobilize sufficient investment and technological deployment from the private sector is at the heart of this search.
The initiative aims to find scalable models that crowd in private finance for low carbon infrastructure, based on significant case studies; develop large-scale, replicable pilot projects that can draw theprivate sector into sustainable land use and forestry (REDD+) projects; and build a new community of sustainable energy partners within the Forum. At the invitation of the Government of Mexico, findings from this work will be presented and discussed at the Cancun climate meeting (COP16) later in 2010.
Financing Green Growth in a Resource-constrained World
The scale and frequency of weather shocks, combined
with long-term economic forecasts of climate change effects and fossil fuel
costs, are having a political as well as an economic impact. Many developing
country governments are changing their approach to infrastructure and
industrial planning, choosing to design more sustainable, resilient pathways to
economic growth. They are developing comprehensive national investment
programmes in clean energy, energy efficiency, water management,
climate-resilient agriculture, smart grids and low-carbon transport systems.
This strategic shift has been...
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February 16, 2012
Energy Vision Update 2010: Towards a More Energy Efficient World - Chinese
The report explores the importance of energy efficiency to meet the world’s growing energy demands. Written in partnership with IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, the report argues that, of all the energy options available, efficiency can contribute the most energy “supply” while reducing costs and greenhouse gases and, at the same time, increasing energy security.1
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January 10, 2012
Scaling Up Low-Carbon Infrastructure Investments in Developing Countries
The Critical Mass Initiative was created in early 2010 to catalyse public-private collaborations to help pioneer a new wave of bankable and scalable transactions in low-carbon infrastructure, in developing and emerging economies. This is an unique platform convened by the World Economic Forum, International Finance Corporation and United Nations Foundation, in association with the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and the Investor Network on Climate Risk. PwC was the Project Adviser to the World Economic Forum for this initiative. The Critical Mass Initiative adopted...
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January 27, 2011
Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010: Energy Industry Partnership Programme Session Summaries
Driving Growth Through Sustainability was a key theme of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin. Even the most optimistic scenarios predict that global energy demand will increase 30-40% in the next decade, and fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy mix. How will this be achieved? Can an energy-intensive lifestyle be sustained if it is run on coal and oil. And how will energy policy in China, the world's largest energy producer and second largest consumer, affect global energy usage patterns?
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December 15, 2010
Benchmarking National Attractiveness for Private Investment in Latin American Infrastructure
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November 18, 2010
Africa 2007 - A Green Revolution for Africa
Investing in Growth: A Green Revolution for AfricaAfrica has never had the equivalent of Asia's "Green Revolution". Will this generation of leaders galvanize the needed investments to allow the continent to feed all of its people and drive economic growth?1) What investments and policy reforms are needed to triple food production in Africa?2) What are the greatest obstacles to success?3) How will the African Green Revolution differ from those of Asia and Latin America?4) What are the likely economic impacts of such growth in the agricultural sector?Introduced byKlaus Schwab, Founder and...
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November 14, 2010
Urban Sustainability
The SlimCity initiative began at the Annual Meeting 2008 and wrapped up two years later. The focus of the project was on the sustainable development of all aspects of a city to achieve reduced carbon emissions and increased resource efficiency across all sectors, involving the following industries: Energy, Mobility, Engineering and Construction, Chemicals, Real Estate and Information Technology.Download the SlimCity Knowledge Cards which identify key trends and best practices in the areas of Smart Energy, Urban Mobility, and Sustainable Construction.New Initiatives developed within this...
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November 5, 2010
Green Investing 2009: Towards a Clean Energy Infrastructure
The World Economic Forum is proud to release this report as part of our Green Investing project. The Green Investing project, which was mandated by the Forum’s Investors community at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2008, aims to explore ways in which the world’s leading investors can most effectively engage in the global effort to address climate change. The investment volumes required to avoid the catastrophic impact of climate change are substantial and success will largely depend on the successful mobilization of both the public and private sectors. This...
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November 3, 2010
Thirsty Energy: Water and Energy in the 21st Century
The relationship of water and energy is ageless and continues to evolve. Understanding how best to optimize the use of water and energy will be critical for business leaders and policy-makers. The energy industry cannot single-handedly solve the growing global water crisis. However, the risks for the industry are too great to stay out of the policy debate and to disregard water in strategic planning. The industry’s ability to contribute to a better understanding of the difficult choices ahead argues for joining the dialogue about this important relationship. The World Economic Forum is...
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October 24, 2010
Climate Change
The World Economic Forum engages business, government and experts in partnerships to create the low-carbon economy. The World Economic Forum provides a neutral platform to develop universal carbon emissions reporting. Creating the Low-Carbon EconomyTo ensure our future prosperity, we need a high-growth and low-carbon economy. To that end, a set of practical policies and incentives is urgently required to help remove the obstacles to more low-carbon finance and technology. This will enable green recovery packages to have maximum impact. But this is not a task for governments alone. As the...
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October 19, 2010
Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010
At the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the World Economic Forum brings together emerging global leaders and Mentors willing to share the knowledge and perception that only come with experience. It is this powerful mix of questioning, insight and resilience that makes the Summer Davos unique. This year’s Meeting focused on “Driving Growth through Sustainability”, an opportunity that confronts every business, government, civil society organization and individual. From the start of the three-day event, it was clear that participants understood the key factors needed to achieve this goal,...
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September 13, 2010
Emerging Green Collar Jobs and Green Entrepreneurship in Asia
By 2030, 2% of the future global workforce in Asia – or 100 million people – will be employed in green jobs, according to a recent study published by the Asia Business Council.With investments in green technologies rising, what models in business and social entrepreneurship are paving the way to new jobs in economies throughout Asia?Key Points• Green entrepreneurs will have to design new business models, including new distribution strategy, to make the cost of using energy-efficient devices more attractive for consumers• Mindset needs to be changed, and promoting green...
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June 7, 2010
Innovation, Green Technology and Growth: Pulling It Together
Green technology surpassed information technology and biotechnology as the sector of choice for venture capital investment in 2009.How should governments and business work together to realize the full potential of this investment trend?Key Points• There has been a dramatic change among business leaders from thinking about green investments primarily as costs to thinking about them as drivers for growth.• As consumers of resources like energy, businesses are motivated by the goal to cut costs.• Consumers will embrace sustainable devices when they become useful or “sexy”;...
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May 11, 2010
Energy Vision Update 2010: Towards a More Energy Efficient World
The report explores the importance of energy efficiency to meet the world’s growing energy demands. Written in partnership with IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, the report argues that, of all the energy options available, efficiency can contribute the most energy “supply” while reducing costs and greenhouse gases and, at the same time, increasing energy security.
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March 11, 2010
IdeasLab with Technology Pioneers: Betting on Green
Technology Pioneers in the IdeasLab discussed revolutionary solutions in green technologies.Synopsis Participants heard presentations from five Technology Pioneers involved in green technology solutions, and were asked to highlight the barriers to scale in each.eSolar’s aim is to produce unsubsidized electricity that is competitive with fossil-fuel generated power. The product uses a system of software-controlled mirrors to direct sunlight onto towers where the solar energy is converted to steam to drive electricity turbines. The software provides the necessary precision, so that the...
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January 29, 2010
