3.3 GREEN & GLOB GREEN ECONOMY The conference went under the byname of Earth Summit and gathered representatives from 178 nations, including 117 heads of state. Can you think of any forms of reuse existing today? ONLINE RESOURCES Corporate social responsibility Origins of the term The term green economy was first coined in 1989 by a group of British environmental economists and it refers to any economic activity that improves the environment in some way. In fact, the name itself combines economics and ecology, referring to an economy that is not only internationally competitive, but also environmentally friendly and socially acceptable. Therefore, green economy is not a new market segment, but one that is being integrated at various levels in all industries or economic sectors. For example, it is a part of housing, transportation, agriculture, or energy. Objectives As stated by the Green Economy Initiative, the programme that the UN launched in 2009, its main purpose consists in directing economic government spending towards green sectors and activities, such as energy efficient buildings, sustainable energy and transport, ecological infrastructure and sustainable agriculture. Also, it aims at enhancing social welfare, fighting against poverty and for social justice by developing sustainable patterns of production and consumption in order to ensure prosperity and high quality of life even in less developed countries. Green growth The expression green economy is strictly related to the concept of green growth, which was one of the main themes at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 . Green growth is seen as a practical tool for achieving economic growth, since it implements policies intended to: improve resource efficiency; switch to renewable sources for power generation; promote the so-called circular economy: reduce (consumption), reuse (products) and recycle (materials). These strategies can bring about an overall benefit, due to investments that can create new job opportunities and ensure a better distribution of wealth as well as a healthier environment. In this way, economic growth can become truly sustainable and inclusive for the population of every country in the world. byname: soprannome to bring about: causare to coin: coniare to enhance: potenziare to implement: mettere in atto pattern: modello spending: spese to switch: passare, cambiare 200 The real world