The Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Global sustainable development prospects continue to diverge. Two years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inter-agency Task Force warned of a global divergence that could lead to a lost decade for development. By 2022, these risks had materialized--a great finance divide was translating into a development divide. Over the past 12 months, the war in Ukraine, sharp increases in food and energy prices and rapidly tightening financial conditions further exacerbated challenges for many countries, increasing hunger and poverty and reversing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite some positive signs, the global macroeconomic outlook remains highly uncertain and particularly bleak for many of the poorest and most vulnerable countries faced with growing debt service burdens and tight fiscal constraints. Delaying investment in transformation is thus not an option. The multiple crises can shorten the time horizons for decisions--by policymakers, investors, businesses and individuals. Delaying investments would put the 2030 targets out of reach and exacerbate financing and macroeconomic challenges down the line. Sustainable and productive investments today can transform and diversify economies and enhance resilience to shocks, including inflationary supply-side shocks, tomorrow. As laid out in the 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report, such investments also enable countries to mobilize resources over time and better service debt. This is why the 2023 Task Force report focuses on sustainable transformations, including a roadmap for governments, along with changes in the way finance works.

This report assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The global economic recession and financial turmoil from COVID-19 (coronavirus) are derailing implementation of the Agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even before the pandemic, the 2020 Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) of the Inter-agency Task Force noted that there was backsliding in many areas. Due to the crisis, global financial markets have witnessed heavy losses and intense volatility. Particularly worrisome is the prospect of a new debt crisis. The FSDR highlights both immediate and longer-term actions, including arresting the backslide, to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Recommendations are included in the report.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2019 assesses the global economic context for development financing, highlighting growing global risks and challenges, and the need for collective action to create a more enabling international environment. This global context chapter is complemented by a thematic chapter focused on national financing frameworks for the SDGs - laying out actions that countries can take to finance their national strategies and plans and implement the Addis Agenda at the country level. The remainder of the report assesses progress in the seven action areas of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

This book seeks to revise and challenge the roles and traditional realms of influence that national and local governments, and businesses at a critical juncture in terms of achieving sustainable development, faces when tackling the dual challenges of climate change and post-COVID recovery. Using the broader lens of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the roles and responsibilities of each of these stakeholders and their relationships, the book offers policy, economic arguments, case studies and examples to argue that neither national or local governments, nor companies, could afford to deviate from the SDGs in the recovery from the current crisis, nor that the imperative of bold climate action should detract from the broader focus on sustainability. The analysis frames the debate of how a balance between people, planet, and profits can be achieved and how nations, regions and cities, and businesses, with their representative organizations, can achieve a sustainable recovery from the current global crisis, and contribute to climate smart, resilient and inclusive development.

Environmental Economics: The Essentials offers a policy-oriented approach to the increasingly influential field of environmental economics that is based on a solid foundation of economic theory and empirical research. Students will not only leave the course with a firm understanding of environmental economics, but they will also be exposed to a number of case studies showing how underlying economic principles provided the foundation for specific environmental and resource policies. This key text highlights what insights can be derived from the actual experience. Key features include: Extensive coverage of the major issues, including climate change, air and water pollution, sustainable development, and environmental justice Introductions to the theory and method of environmental economics, including externalities, experimental and behavioral economics, benefit-cost analysis, and methods for valuing the services provided by the environment Boxed Examples and Debates throughout the text, which highlight global cases and major talking points This second edition provides updated data, new studies, and more international examples. There is a considerable amount of new material, with a deeper focus on climate change. The text is fully supported with end-of-chapter summaries, discussion questions, and self-test exercises in the book, as well as a suite of supplementary digital resources, including multiple-choice questions, simulations, references, slides, and an instructor’s manual. It is adapted from the 12th edition of the best-selling Environmental and Natural Resource Economics textbook by the same authors.