CHE is again a signatory on a letter to the G20 from the Green Economy coalition, a small but broad-based group urging action from the G20 on environmental issues. The Green Economy Coalition was founded in March 2009 in Switzerland and consists of members from the environment, development, business, labour and consumer sectors. In this letter, the Coalition calls upon the G20 to follow through on its commitment to accelerate the transition to a green economy, with urgent and decisive action to:

(1) invest considerably more in clean energy and energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to create new green jobs and a fair transition for transforming traditional jobs into sustainable ones, and to generate secure and sustainable access to energy;

(2) honour existing ODA commitments, and mobilize new funds for developing countries through innovative financial mechanisms, and ensure that all financial resources contribute to an inclusive and sustainable recovery in accordance with the priorities of developing countries;

(3) support ongoing efforts to quantify environmental values such as The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative, and invest in ecosystem-based measures such as financing Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) which can assist in combating climate change and be a key anti-poverty and adaptation measure;

(4) encourage transparency, and achieve a robust and visionary deal on climate change in Copenhagen later this year, by integrating environment and development as well as business and labour issues, to lay the foundations for a fair and green economy for the 21st Century.

The letter can be downloaded here: http://www.che.ac.uk/downloads/coalition_letter_2.pdf.