Environment Directorate

Find

Focus

Mapping Channels to Mobilise Institutional Investment in Sustainable Energy

This report develops a framework that classifies investments according to different types of financing instruments and investment funds, and highlights the risk mitigants and transaction enablers that intermediaries can use to mobilise institutionally held capital.
Read more
Material Resources, Productivity and the Environment - en

Improving resource productivity and ensuring a sustainable resource and materials management building on the principle of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) is a central element of green growth policies. To be successful such policies need to be founded on a good understanding. This report contributes to this understanding.
Read more
Do environmental policies matter for productivity growth?

Environmental policies address wellbeing and sustainability objectives, affecting firm and household behaviour. A newly developed OECD indicator (EPS) shows that environmental policies have become more stringent over the past two decades.
Read more

We help countries to design environmental policies that are both economically efficient and effective at achieving their environmental objectives.

LATEST VIDEO - Smart climate change adaptation in practice

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a must, but governments, businesses and communities also need to prepare for a changing climate.

See how Denmark, Canada, Australia, Japan and Mexico are adapting to deal with the risk posed by fierce storms, unseasonal heatwaves, excessive rainfall and rising sea.

OECD work on climate change adaptation

Events

Fiscal Policies and the Green Economy Transition: Generating Knowledge - Creating Impact, Italy | 29-30 January 2015
OECD participation at the 7th World Water Forum, Korea | 12-17 April 2015
2nd Green Investment Financing Forum, OECD Headquarters | 20 May 2015

Greening Household Behaviour: A Review for Policy Makers

‌‌‌‌‌This Environment Policy Paper is based from a large-scale household survey that explores what drives household environmental behaviour and how policies may affect household decisions. It focuses on five areas in which households have significant environmental impact: energy, food, transport, waste and water. This policy paper is based on the second round of the EPIC survey, carried out in 2011 (the first was in 2008).

Personal behaviour and choices in daily life, from what we eat to how we get to work or heat our homes, have a significant – and growing – effect on the environment. But why are some households greener than others? And what factors motivate green household choices?

Answering these questions is vital for helping governments design and target policies that promote "greener" behaviour.

The survey collected information from more than 12 000 households in Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Books

Environmental performance review:
Sweden 2014

The Cost of Air Pollution:
Health Impacts of Road Transport

Environment at a Glance 2013:
OECD Indicator

Did you know?

Global emissions of CO₂ from the energy sector have grown by more than 1.5% per year since 1990. Explicit carbon pricing and supporting policies can help control this growth.
Although 60% of the world's population lives in Asia, the continent has only 36% of the world's water resources.
A global carbon market could help reduce "carbon leakage" where industries migrate to locations with no climate change mitigation policies.

Watch our video on Environment Key Facts.

OECD work on environment

‌

‌‌‌‌

What we do - Help countries to design environmental policies that are both economically efficient and effective at achieving their environmental objectives.

What we are - An extension to national governments’ analytical capacity, providing policy-relevant analysis and recommendations based on reliable environmental data, outlooks and cross-country experiences. A forum for governments and representatives from business and civil society for constructive dialogue on how best to develop and implement environmental policies across OECD and other countries.

Who we serve - OECD has 34 member countries and is in accession discussions with the Russian Federation, and enhances its engagement with Brazil, People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia and South Africa.