The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released its 2008 Environmental Outlook, indentifying four priority areas where urgent action is needed to avoid irreversible damage to the environment and natural resource base needed to support economic growth worlwide.
According to the report, climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and the impact on human health of pollution and toxic chemicals are the most pressing concerns and can be addressed affordably.
For example, the report projects that world GDP will almost double by 2030 and that it would cost just over 1% of that growth to implement policies that can cut key air pollutants by about a third, and contain greenhouse gas emissions to about 12% instead of 37% growth under the scenario without new policies.
"Solutions to the key environmental challenges are available, achievable and affordable, especially when compared to the expected economic growth and the costs and consequences of inaction", OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said at the worldwide launch of the report in Norway.
The Outlook identifies ways to share the cost of policy action globally. Developed nations have been responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions to date, but rapid economic growth in emerging economies–particularly Brazil, Russia, India and China–means that by 2030 the annual emissions of these 4 countries together will exceed those of the 30 OECD countries combined.
OECD recommends use of policy mixes, and to keep the costs of action low these should be heavily based on economic and market-based instruments. Examples are the use of green taxes, efficient water pricing, emissions trading, polluter-pay systems, waste charges, and eliminating environmentally harmful subsidies.
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