Research Handbook on the Green Economy (Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change)

Outlining how the concepts of green economy and green growth have become the forefront of policy and political debates within the last decade, this compelling Research Handbook investigates the policies and plans that utilise these concepts at both the local and global level to achieve a truly green economy. Commencing with a review of green economy’s development from the 1980s onwards, the Research Handbook on the Green Economy examines its progression through the 1990s, illustrating the lack of progress in the early years until sustainable development gathered traction in the early 2000s. Taking a theoretical approach to green economy research, this Research Handbook examines recent trends and developments within global industries and sectors including product circulation and manufacturing, alongside green services, construction, renewable energy and tourism. Chapters also discuss the directions and challenges for future research, in particular the concepts of ‘lean’, waste reduction and greenwashing in the green economy. This timely and fascinating book will be an excellent resource for scholars and researchers in the fields of environmental economics, economic geography, business and management studies, and environmental governance and regulation. The illustrated future strategies highlighted in this Research Handbook will also provide excellent guidance for policymakers at both local and national government levels. Front Matter Copyright Contents Figures Tables Boxes Contributors 1. Introduction: conceptualising research into the green economy PART I THEORETICAL APPROACHES IN GREEN ECONOMY RESEARCH 2. Green economy definitions: recent trends and developments 3. Green growth 4. The circular economy 5. Are all industries now green? 6. Agenda 2030 and the green economy PART II INDUSTRIES AND SECTORS 7. Green finance: possible misallocation of portfolio assets and net carbon tax proposals 8. Product circulation and remanufacturing 9. Green services 10. Servitization and the green economy 11. Construction and the green economy 12. Bioeconomy and international trade in Latin America 13. Second-stage challenges and opportunities for renewable energy and national variation in adoption 14. Green tourism PART III CHALLENGES AND CRITIQUES 15. Lean and the green economy: the promise of a waste-free society? 16. Green everywhere? Institutional greenwashing and injustice in the green economy 17. Green economies in the Global South: framings, experiences, and immanent challenges PART IV CONCLUSION 18. Coda: future directions and challenges for research into the green economy Index