SS7: Opening Green Windows: Technological opportunities in a low-carbon world

SPECIAL SESSIONS

Name and affiliations of the session organisers

Clovis Freire (UNCTAD)
Rasmus Lema (UNU-MERIT)
Roberta Rabellotti (Università di Pavia)

Description

The special session focuses on green and sustainable innovations in developing countries. In particular, it aims at examining catch-up opportunities for developing countries linked to the green transition. Green innovations and technologies can contribute to both the economic growth of developing countries and climate change mitigation.

Regarding environmental sustainability, green technologies enable cleaner and more efficient production, going beyond renewable energy technologies alone but also including the strategic use of traditional and new digital technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

However, when it comes to green innovations, there are significant disparities between the Global North and the Global South when it comes to the production of knowledge as measured through patents and scientific publications, as well as research and development activities. Therefore, relevant questions arise concerning whether countries in the Global South will be able to take advantage of the green transition to increase their economic and social development.

What are the possible gains from developing green technologies? What are the opportunities and difficulties arising from the green transition in the Global South countries? How can national governments concretely promote green innovations and sustainable development in latecomer countries?

The special session covers the themes of (i) green and sustainable innovation; (ii) green innovation in peripheral regions, (iii) innovation and environmental policy in regions and countries in the Global South. The following topics will be of interest in the special section:

Green Windows of Opportunity
Green innovation in latecomer countries
Industrial, innovation and environmental policy for the green transition in latecomer countries
Greening of global value chains
Green and digital transitions in latecomer countries
Innovation in green GVC (i.e., renewable industries, e-mobility)
Environmental impact of the green transition in latecomer countries

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References

Krishnan, A., De Marchi, V., & Ponte, S. (2023). Environmental upgrading and downgrading in global value chains: A framework for analysis. Economic Geography, 99(1), 25-50.

Lema, R., Fu, X., & Rabellotti, R. (2020). Green windows of opportunity: latecomer development in the age of transformation toward sustainability. Industrial and Corporate Change, 29(5), 1193-1209.

Pegels, A., & Altenburg, T. (2020). Latecomer development in a “greening” world: Introduction to the Special Issue. World Development, 135, 105084.

UNCTAD, 2023, Technology and Innovation Report 2023. Opening Green Windows. Technological Opportunities for a Low-Carbon World, Geneva, UNCTAD.

SPECIAL SESSIONS