Using the Composite EEPSE Green Economy Index to Assess the Progress of Emerging Economies in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

As a concept, the green economy refers to the transition from coal to renewable energy sources to reduce pollution, the energy efficiency of production processes to achieve savings, the reuse of materials from waste in business and energy production, changes designed to stop harmful climate change and bring new opportunities for economic development. In this way, conflicts between economic development and environmental issues are resolved, with the aim of achieving sustainability of the economy and society. The aim of the study is to provide a comparative analysis of the level of development of the green economy in selected 20 emerging economies and their progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the 2030 Agenda using the EEPSE Green Economy Index (EEPSE GEI), based on Quintuple  Helix Innovation Model (QHIM), and examine the interdependence between each of the 5 subsystems (quality of education system, economic aspects, political system, civil society, and natural environment) with this index. The results indicate that among the group of countries observed, Estonia is the best performer, while Egypt has the lowest performance. The results, also, indicate the important role of each of the subsystems in EEPSE GEI. The study can be useful for policy makers to identify weaknesses in achieving the SDGs.