Interview: Green Economy in Sweden & Europe

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From the course by Lund University

Greening the Economy: Lessons from Scandinavia

349 ratings

Lund University

Greening the Economy: Lessons from Scandinavia

349 ratings

How can we live a good life on one planet with over seven billion people? This course will explore greening the economy on four levels – individual, business, city, and nation. We will look at the relationships between these levels and give many practical examples of the complexities and solutions across the levels. Scandinavia, a pioneering place advancing sustainability and combating climate change, is a unique starting point for learning about greening the economy. We will learn from many initiatives attempted in Scandinavia since the 1970s, which are all potentially helpful and useful for other countries and contexts. The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University is an international centre of excellence on strategies for sustainable solutions. The IIIEE is ideally suited to understand and explain the interdisciplinary issues in green economies utilising the diverse disciplinary backgrounds of its international staff. The IIIEE has been researching and teaching on sustainability and greener economies since the 1990s and it has extensive international networks connecting with a variety of organizations. 5-8 hours/week 5 weeks duration 40 films 20 teachers

From the lesson

Individual choices

Here in Module 2 we look at the individual level and how individual choices can help or hinder progress towards a green economy. This module offers an increased understanding of patterns and levels of consumption; we will look at the drivers and theories of consumer behaviour and the limitations of working with consumer choice in isolation (e.g. rebound effect); and develop an understanding of how to measure the impact of consumption (e.g. carbon footprint).

Interview: Green Economy in Sweden & Europe5:29

Interview: Building a Green Online Community6:25

"Meet the Parkers, Part II"4:06

Meet the Instructors

Dr. Kes McCormick
Associate Professor and Assistant Head
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Dr. Luis Mundaca
Professor
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Prof. Oksana Mont
Professor
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Prof. Lena Neij
Professor and Director
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Dr. Thomas Lindhqvist
Associate Professor
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Dr. Håkan Rodhe
Associate Professor
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Dr. Peter Arnfalk
Associate Professor
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Dr. Charlotte Leire
Lecturer
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics

[MUSIC]

I know that it is possible, and

actually, we also have all the proper facts to prove it.

We have, when it comes to climate change, the work of Sir Nicholas Stern,

who put the price tag on inaction and I think that this goes for most of

the environmental issues and investments necessary, that we will see that

we can actually make money and

make profits also out of being environmentally friendly.

And of course, as humanity, and for the planet,

this is good business and a good investment.

And Sweden is a country to prove that you can have economic growth and

combine it with also getting, for example, both greenhouse gases emissions down,

and being very effective also, from an energy point of view.

In all of the Nordic countries, and

I would say in, in most the European Union countries, we have had since

the 1970s very ambitious legislation on environmental protection.

That has not hampered the economic growth in our countries.

And it's a very good example also how to share the costs and burden of it,

how we have divided, sort of, the responsibilities and the costs

of these investments, and of these reforms, between the EU countries.

And I think also when it comes to living up to our Kyoto Protocol commitments,

this is a success story in Europe.

We have been delivering on our Kyoto Protocol commitments and

we have done it in sort of solidarity and

in a way to not disrupt competition between the EU countries.

And I think that's a model also for the rest of the world, and

that was the thought behind the Kyoto protocol.

I believe that we are considered to be in the lead in many of these

issues when it comes to greening the economy.

But I would like to see more courage: courageous leaders -

business leaders and political leaders.

And I think also we ought to demonstrate, how you combine political steer and

political leadership with using the market forces in the best possible way.

And I think you cannot rely totally on the market forces or

sort of capitalism to offer the solutions, but you have to use it as a 'good servant'

for the political lead and steer towards the clear target.

So, you need both. And, you need to make sure that you engage people

and that you have all the different actors with you.

I think that most of the reforms or

the practical solutions that we found in European countries

can also be applied and spread elsewhere.

They have to be techniquely feasible and possible.

They also have to be based on scientific knowledge,

and best practice.

And they have to be applied in a way that engages people,

so that it is done in a democratic and

inclusive way. I think also it helps to put a price tag on

some of these reforms, because there is a cost to inaction as well.

For the future, we need long term targets.

We need to invest in renewable energy to create

the frameworks necessary, and the prospects for all actors involved,

to invest in and use the latest of technology in these areas.

I think we will see a lot happening at the local and regional levels, and in cities.

I have big hopes for cities and the way they engage in projects.

They build environmentally friendly buildings.

They go for wind power.

They do transportation systems

in a different and more environmentally friendly way.

So this is where a lot of the force will be found for the future.

[MUSIC]

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