Green Economy

Greening the economy refers to the transformation process of Alpine economies towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient, environmentally and socially sustainable model. This transformation requires a paradigm shift in the current understanding of the relationship between the economy, the environment, and people, as well as in the way economic processes are carried out. Green economy is thus a holistic approach that tries to address all sectors of economy and society in order to reconcile economic investments with environmental conservation and social protection.

The Alps, with their specific challenges and their unique resources, have the potential to function as a laboratory to see a green economy in action, as well as to spread it beyond their borders. Although never explicitly mentioned in the Protocols, green economy and its underlying principles can be considered a recurring theme in the Alpine Convention’s legal texts and activities.

Protocols and Declarations

• Declaration on Fostering a sustainable economy in the Alps (2016)

Furthermore, the underlying principles of green economy are directly or indirectly addressed in the Framework Convention as well as in the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Protocol, the Mountain Farming Protocol, the Mountain Forests Protocol, the Tourism Protocol, the Energy Protocol and the Transport Protocol.

Thematic Working Bodies

• Mountain Agriculture and Mountain Forestry Working Group
• Ad hoc Working Group for the preparation of the 8^th Report on the State of the Alps (2019-2020)
• Green Economy Advisory Board (2016-2019)
• Sustainable Tourism Working Group (2015-2019)
• Ad hoc Working Group for the preparation of the 6^th Report on the State of the Alps (2015-2016)
• Mountain Forests Working Group (2012-2019)
• Mountain Agriculture Platform (2011-2019)

Selected Documents and Publications

• Report on the Ecological Transition in Agriculture and Forestry, including a section on Peatland and Carbon Farming/Multifunctionality (2024)
• Green Economy Progress Report 2020
• Action Programme for a Green Economy in the Alpine Region - Executive Summary (2019)
• Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Alpine Conference 2017-2022 (2017)
• 6^th Report on the State of the Alps: Greening the economy in the Alpine region - long version and executive summary (2017)
• Resolutions by the 11^th Youth Parliament of the Alpine Convention (2016)

Projects

• AlpTextyles (Alpine Space Programme) - Collaborative solutions ​for a heritage & consumer sensitive ​re-localisation ​of sustainable, circular, and innovative ​Alpine textile value chains (2022-2025)
• Implementation of the Action Programme for a Green Economy in the Alpine region (2019-2022)
  • Final report “Implementation of the Green Economy Action Programme in the Alpine region” (available in German)
  • Practical guide: Efficient Land use in the Alpine region
  • Practical guide: Public sustainable procurement
• Sectoral Development of a Green Economy in the Alpine region (2019-2021)
  • Final report “Alpine Convention: Sectoral development of the Green Economy in the Alpine region” (available in German)
  • The impact of COVID-19 on economies in the Alpine region
• We are Alps Tour 2016