Simon Upton

Between 1981 and 2000, Simon Upton was New Zealand’s Minister for the Environment, Minister of Research, Science and Technology and Minister of Health. He is now the Director of the OECD Environment Directorate.

Summary / Synopsis
Bangladesh tragedy exposes need for responsible globalization
[UNDP, 28/05/2013]
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Stop Paying the Polluters
[Connie Hedegaard, 05/04/2013]
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Sovereign Environmental Risk
[Achim Steiner, 27/10/2012]
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From Resource Curse to Blessing
[Joseph E. Stiglitz, 06/08/2012]
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Rio+20: Towards Millennium Goals for the Environment?
[Olivier Blond, 15/06/2012]
Rio+20: Towards Millennium Goals for the Environment? The chief editor of GoodPlanet Info’s website created Le Courrier International’s green page and took part in the creation of the TV programme Vu du Ciel on the French television channel, France2. ... Suite
Rio+20 : We need all jobs to become greener
[Simon Upton, 30/05/2012]
Rio+20 : We need all jobs to become greener Between 1981 and 2000, Simon Upton was New Zealand’s Minister for the Environment, Minister of Research, Science and Technology and Minister of Health. He is now the Director of the OECD Environment... Suite
Don’t Blame it on Rio
[Michel Rocard, 22/02/2012]
Don’t Blame it on Rio Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France and a former leader of the Socialist Party, is a member of the European Parliament. Suite
Endorse the Nuclear Test Ban
[Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, 13/12/2011]
Endorse the Nuclear Test Ban Patricia Espinosa Cantellano is Foreign Minister of Mexico. Suite
Greening the European Investment Bank
[Manana Kochladze, 23/12/2011]
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A French Cure for the Resource Curse
[George Soros, 15/06/2011]
A French Cure for the Resource Curse George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management and of the Open Society Institute. Photo : © AFP PHOTO / ERIC PIERMONT Suite
Climate change measures must be made corruption proof
[Transparency International, 30/04/2011]
Climate change measures must be made corruption proof Fondée en 1993 et présente dans 80 pays, Transparency International est une ONG qui lutte contre la corruption. Suite
The Meaning of Chernobyl
[Yuliya Tymoshenko, 26/04/2011]
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The Dirt on nuclear Power
[Benjamin Benjamin Sovacool, 16/03/2011]
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Civil society challenges for 2011
[William Bourdon, 05/01/2010]
Civil society challenges for 2011 William Bourdon exerce la profession d'avocat. Sa spécialité : la défense des droits de l'homme. Il a créé en 2001 l'association SHERPA qui défend les victimes de crimes commis par des opérateurs... Suite
Cancun : a Mexican success
[Olivier Blond, 11/12/2010]
Cancun : a Mexican success The chief editor of GoodPlanet Info’s website created Le Courrier International’s green page and took part in the creation of the TV programme Vu du Ciel on the French television channel, France2. ... Suite
The abuse of human rights aboard illegal fishing vessels
[Environmental Justice Foundation, 30/06/2010]
The abuse of human rights aboard illegal fishing vessels Environmental Justice Foundation est une ONG britannique fondée en 2000. Elle milite pour une plus grande justice écologiste car de l'état de l'environnement dépend la vie de millions de personnes.... Suite
About green crime
[Laurent Neyret, 14/08/2010]
About green crime Laurent Neyret, Law Lecturer at Versailles Saint-Quentin University Suite
Russia is Burning
[Yevgenia Albats, 10/08/2010]
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Activism is not a crime
[Dirk Voorhoof, 21/06/2010]
Activism is not a crime Professeur à l'Université de Gand, où il enseigne les cours de droit des médias, de droit d’auteur et de déontologie journalistique. Il dispense également le cours de droit des médias à l’Université... Suite
The problem is that we only worry about animals we find cute. I defend them all.
[Antoine F. Goetschel, 01/07/2010]
The problem is that we only worry about animals we find cute. I defend them all. Antoine F. Goetschel is a laywer who specializes in animal rights. Suite
The Grenelle is better than nothing !
[Serge Orru, 16/05/2010]
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As China’s Pollution Toll Grows, Protesters and Media Push Back
[Fred Pearce, 18/03/2010]
As China’s Pollution Toll Grows, Protesters and Media Push Back Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers... Suite
Climate change’s secret weapon
[Khadija Sharife is a South African journalist. She is also an activist and a scholar at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and a contributing author to the Tax Justice Network., 27/02/2010]
Climate change’s secret weapon Khadija Sharife is a South African journalist. She is also an activist and a scholar at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and a contributing author... Suite
Copenhagen: Seattle Grows Up
[Naomi Klein, 13/11/2009]
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Green Intelligence: Toward True Ecological Transparency
[Daniel Goleman, 15/09/2009]
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The fight against the superstores is a struggle for democracy
[George Monbiot, The guardian, 10/08/2009]
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Changing man's relationship to nature is only a start
[Edgar Morin, 22/06/2009]
Changing man's relationship to nature is only a start Edgar Morin is a sociologist and a philosopher. He is the author of “Pour entrer dans le XXIe” (Entering the XXIst century) (Seuil, 2004) Suite
This is what denial does
[George Monbiot, 14/10/2008]
This is what denial does George Monbiot is a well-known investigation reporter and columnist for the British newspaper “The Guardian” as well as a member of the BBC Wildlife magazine’s advisory board. He is also the author... Suite
Corruption and democracy : threats to development and possibilities of reform : Corruption, liberation, democratisation
[Michael Johnston, 06/06/2000]
Corruption and democracy : threats to development and possibilities of reform : Corruption, liberation, democratisation Michael Johnston is a Professor of Political Science and former head of Social Sciences at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He has studied political and administrative corruption since 1975,... Suite
Reliability of Corruption Indicators and Development Aid
[L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), 12/02/2007]
Reliability of Corruption Indicators and Development Aid L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (Research Institute for development) is a French public organization, which is dependent on the Ministries of Research and Cooperation. Its mission is to... Suite
Back to Basics—10 Myths About Governance and Corruption
[Daniel Kaufmann, 11/09/2005]
Back to Basics—10 Myths About Governance and Corruption Daniel Kaufmann is the Director of Global Programs at the World Bank Institute (WBI) where he oversees the governance and knowledge agenda. Regarded as a leading expert, researcher, and adviser on... Suite
Governance Matters VI: Governance Indicators for 1996-2006
[Daniel Kaufmann, 07/07/2007]
Governance Matters VI: Governance Indicators for 1996-2006 Daniel Kaufmann is the Director of Global Programs at the World Bank Institute (WBI) where he oversees the governance and knowledge agenda. Regarded as a leading expert, researcher, and adviser on... Suite

Rio+20 : We need all jobs to become greener

30/05/2012 12:06 pm

Green growth, green economy and green jobs has become very popular words since the Rio summit in 1992/ 20 years later, Simon Upton, director of the environment division of the OCDE gives us an outlook on what was done to add sustainability to economy.

What did the 1992 Rio Earth Summit change?

This summit made the public realise that the economy, the environment and development are interdependent. This changed the terms of the debate but unfortunately, it did not change the direction of the economy.

What is green growth?

Green growth is a term that we coined at the OECD to describe a type of growth that promotes well-being in a manner that can be considered “environmentally-friendly”. This begins with making better use of natural resources by giving them added value. If we want growth whilst remaining green, pollution must be expensive, much more expensive than it is now, so as to encourage a more effective use of resources. This goes hand in hand with the development of new technologies.

What is happening in the biggest emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India)?

Given the scale of these economies and their growth, I won’t be surprised if they become the leaders who will provide future technological solutions. Big countries like China and India have an advantage because they are still building their infrastructures, and as regards their situation, new solutions can be introduced at levels and to extents that have never been tested before. China is big enough to become the leader in any field. It is already selling solar panels and wind turbines to the rest of the world.

How many people in the world have green jobs?

It is indeed difficult to define what qualifies as a green job. If the economy "gets greener”, will a worker in a steel or a cement factory who has managed to drastically reduce his footprint be less green than a worker in the wind turbine industry? We need all jobs to become greener. Does the economic argument make it possible to better take into account the environment? “You cannot control what you cannot assess" But we still lack measuring tools as well as simple and precise indicators – such as energy efficiency – so that all countries can easily concentrate on these goals.

Can progress be measured?

Our management abilities have improved, but we have not yet really made the most difficult decisions, namely, putting a price on water and on pollution. Since it was created, the Clean Air Act (a law to control air pollution) has made it possible to save 2 000 billion dollars in health costs in the United States. Putting a figure on things makes some people realise how important they are. Changing subsidies can be a form of leverage: throughout the world, almost 500 billion dollars go to fossil energy whereas renewable energies only receive one-tenth of this amount.