Key points
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Encouraging the diffusion of green technology requires a combination of voluntary approaches,
government incentives and a comprehensive regulatory framework.
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Policy signals stimulate private investments in R&D.
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Least developed countries and small island developing states need special measures and support to
promote green technologies.
Green technology explained
There is no commonly accepted or internationally agreed definition of green technology. The term can be
broadly defined as technology that has the potential to significantly improve environmental performance
relative to other technology. It is related to the term “environmentally sound technology”, which was adopted
under the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Agenda 21, although it is no longer
widely used. Based on Agenda 21, environmentally sound technologies are geared to “protect the environ-
ment, are less polluting, use all resources in a more sustainable manner, recycle more of their wastes and prod-
ucts, and handle residual wastes in a more acceptable manner than the technologies for which they were
substituted.”
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Other related terms for green technology include: climate-smart, climate-friendly and low-carbon
technology.
How it works
In terms of pollution, green technology includes both process and product technologies that generate low or no
waste and increase resource- and energy-efficiency. They also cover "end-of-the-pipe" technologies for treating
pollution. Green technology does not only mean individual technologies but also systems, including know-how,
procedures, goods and services and equipment, as well as organizational and managerial procedures.
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