Green Economy: Prospects for Sustainable Development

Larisa Khatsieva

1 a

, Zalina Taymaskhanova

1 b

and Ayna Salamova

2 c

Grozny State Oil Technical University named after Academician M.D. Millionshchikova, Grozny, Russian Federation

Chechen State University, Grozny named after A.A. Kadyrova, Grozny, Russian Federation

Keywords: Ecological development, sustainable development, technological progress, ecologization of the economy,

innovative technologies, natural resources, projects, construction.

Abstract: The fundamental challenge that a green economy poses to all government agencies is to unify, harmonize and

integrate work on the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Linking

"green" and "economic" with human well-being and social justice as primary goals requires a new

commitment to better measure and value human and natural assets and place them at the center of economic

development. It also calls for more inclusive and proportionate growth. Investments in efficient transport

systems, housing, energy efficiency, sustainable sources of biological resources and environmentally

sustainable agricultural practices, among other priorities, can bring significant social benefits. For example,

household energy investment to replace inefficient biomass/coal stoves with improved stoves and cleaner

fuels, and the use of household waste to produce biogas, could improve the sanitation and health of 3 billion

people and, in particular, the well-being of women. These linkages point to the need for a comprehensive

approach that should form the basis for prioritizing investments in the green economy. Those investments that

bring both environmental and social benefits should be prioritized.

1 INTRODUCTION

A Green Economy is: “An economy that improves

human well-being and reduces inequalities in the long

term without exposing future generations to

significant environmental risks and environmental

deficits”, United Nations Environment Program

(UNEP), 2012. There is not a single model of the

"green economy", but several forms of local specific

activities in the field of "green economy". The key

principle is that the "green economy" is about finding

economic opportunities through socially and

environmentally sustainable practices and vice versa

(Auffret, 2020).

Simply put, a green economy is an economy that

promotes economic opportunities that are consistent

with environmental sustainability and social well-

being. It also promotes environmental goals that can

provide new forms of socio-economic opportunity.

The Theme Group stressed that the term does not

mean that there is a single "green economy" or that

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6246-6461

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-6576

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7509-4441

one model can be applied across Europe. Rather,

there will be several forms and types of green

economy activities in different rural areas of Europe.

Other terms are also used to describe this kind of

development, such as green growth. These terms

describe new goals and dynamics both in politics and

in the (rural) economy itself, with a focus on

economic growth that (Tans, 2019):

• is guided by low-carbon, energy-efficient and

resource-saving investments and practices;

• increases the resilience of ecosystems to

climate and economic changes;

• at a minimum, prevent the loss of biodiversity

and ecosystem services and promote

reconciliation between the environment and

economic growth; and

• is socially inclusive.

Key drivers of a green economy include policies

at the national, European and global levels, as well as

the emergence of new or more accessible

technological innovations. However, the market also

plays an important role. The preferences and

Khatsieva, L., Taymaskhanova, Z. and Salamova, A.

Green Economy: Prospects for Sustainable Development.

DOI: 10.5220/0011554800003524

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Methods, Models, Technologies for Sustainable Development (MMTGE 2022) - Agroclimatic Projects and Carbon Neutrality, pages

68-72

ISBN: 978-989-758-608-8

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

decisions of consumers, retailers, tourists, processors,

etc. can make a big difference. These political,

technological and market forces exist in a state of

constant dynamism. Changes in these dynamics in

recent years give new impetus to change (ICTs,

2019). Among the many specific driving forces

behind the transition to a green economy in recent

times are: the new global deal on climate change;

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); increasing

consumer preference for environmentally sustainable

products; and innovation in renewable forms of

energy from waste. A study of the transition process

to a green economy has identified six components for

the transition from a brown to a green economy.

These building blocks form a sequence of steps from

traditional or business as usual approaches.

Through active environmental management to,

finally, a growing recognition of the need to achieve

true environmental sustainability through the

efficient use of resources and the use of more

innovative technologies and methods, as well as

finding ways to change demand.

A low-carbon economy is an economy in which

businesses, individuals and the environment thrive

through carbon management and sustainability, more

efficient use of fuels, carbon storage in soil and

biomass, and the use of low-carbon technologies to

produce products, services and energy (Murtazova,

2021). However, it is important to note that the term

"low carbon" does not only refer to carbon dioxide

(CO2). It is also used to refer to the reduction of all

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as nitrogen

oxides and methane. One of the main reasons for this

transition in society is the increased contribution to

climate change mitigation, in which all sectors have a

role to play. There are many ways in which

innovative developments can contribute to the

transition to a green economy. These include support

for green business activities and support for

improving the environmental performance of farmers

and foresters.

In March 2011, the European Commission set out

a low-carbon economy roadmap that proposes to cut

EU greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990

levels by 2050. The two most important principles

recognized in the roadmap are as follows

(Braverman, 2019):

1. The transition to low-carbon technologies is

feasible and affordable.

2. All sectors must contribute.

The roadmap outlines the milestones for

achieving the goal by 2050:

• Reduce emissions by 40% by 2030.

• Reduce emissions by 60% by 2040.

• Reducing emissions by 80% by 2050.

According to the European Commission:

“Reducing emissions by 80% by mid-century will

require significant further innovation in existing

technologies, but does not require new breakthrough

technologies. [Existing technologies such as] solar,

wind and bioenergy, smart grids, carbon capture and

storage, low or zero energy homes [and] smart cities

will be the backbone of a low-carbon economy in

2050.” Action will be required in all major sectors

responsible for emissions in Europe – energy,

industry, transport, buildings, construction and

agriculture, but there are differences between sectors

in the number of expected reductions according to

their technological and economic potential.

2 RESEARCH METHODS

Carbon provides the basis for agricultural and forestry

production in the form of organic matter in soils.

Converted to biomass, it forms commodities in the

form of food, materials (such as hemp) and fibers

(including wood and cane). It also provides energy in

the form of fuel used to run businesses and machines,

as well as to power homes (Gakaev, 2020). But this

dependence on carbon also brings with it some

questions and challenges, such as how to maintain

and increase existing carbon stocks, how to improve

the efficiency of its use, and what are the

consequences of this.

When we talk about greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions from the agricultural sector, we are mainly

referring to emissions of: methane (CH4) from

livestock digestion and manure storage; and nitrous

oxide (N20) from organic and mineral nitrogen

fertilizers. Globally, agriculture is the largest

anthropogenic source of non-CO2 greenhouse gas

emissions, accounting for 56% of emissions, this

contribution is much smaller at about 10%, although

with significant differences between Member States

(3-32%) . As for specific sources of GHG emissions

in the agricultural sector, their share is distributed

among the following source categories (Vladimirov,

2019):

• agricultural soils (51%) – nitrous oxide (N2O)

in soils, especially from organic and mineral

nitrogen fertilizers;

• enteric fermentation (31%) – methane (CH4)

from livestock digestion processes;

• manure management (17%) – both CH and NO

• rice cultivation (0.5%) - CH ; and

• incineration of agricultural waste in the field

(0.2%) – CH4.

Green Economy: Prospects for Sustainable Development

In addition, land management has other impacts

on the carbon balance. On the one hand, there are

additional emissions, especially CO₂, from the use of

machinery and equipment on farms. On the other

hand, certain land management practices can release

significant amounts of carbon from soils, forests and

swamps. Compared to other sectors, agriculture is

expected to be able to achieve significant emission

reductions already before 2030. However, further

reductions will be more limited beyond that point.

Along with transport, agriculture is expected to

become one of the main sectors where full

decarbonization will not be achieved even in the long

term. Overall emissions from agriculture have already

declined since 1990, with CO emissions

proportionately larger than non-CO emissions.

However, the rate of decline has slowed over the past

decade, indicating that more action is needed to

support the transition to a low-carbon economy in this

sector and in rural areas in general.

The land use industries are among the few that can

have a positive impact

carbon balance. This is due to the amount of

carbon storage and sequestration that can occur

through land, which can more than offset emissions

associated with land use. Harnessing the potential for

carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas

emissions through better management of soils and

biomass is critical. Doing this consistently is

especially important. Increasingly, Member States

can look to their Land Use, Land-use Change and

Forestry Sectors to contribute to climate change

mitigation efforts. They can also be supported, for

example, by afforestation and forest management and

agroecological and climate measures. This, along

with greater resource and energy efficiency, will in

turn help support rural businesses and be a strong

selling point for green products and low-carbon

tourism (Molchanova, 2019).

Effective management of carbon emissions in

ecosystems is not only about the environment. The

Low Carbon Green Economy takes this idea further

to ensure that an efficient and reliable supply of low

carbon energy brings environmental, economic and

social benefits. This should make ecosystems

healthier and more resilient or adaptable to change,

which means increased productivity and a more

sustainable long-term future for productive sectors.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Global ecosystems contribute to the emission and

capture of CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide

(N2O), and influence the composition of atmospheric

greenhouse gases and climate. Over the past 50 years,

the removal of approximately one third of

anthropogenic GHG emissions has been associated

with terrestrial ecosystems (Egorova, 2020). In

producing high-quality and large amounts of food for

a growing wealthy population, global food systems

are important sources of GHGs, accounting for more

than one third of global anthropogenic GHG

emissions, of which 71% comes from crop and

livestock production. production systems and land-

use change activities. Forest ecosystems are one of

the most important global carbon sinks and absorb

45% of anthropogenic GHG emissions, with 85–90%

of terrestrial biomass produced in forest ecosystems.

The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth's

surface and plays an important role in capturing CO2

from the atmosphere. Currently, 22.7% of annual

CO2 emissions from human activities are absorbed by

the ocean ecosystem. To prevent irreversible

deterioration from global climate change, the

biosphere must increase biomass production and food

supply with less greenhouse gas emissions, remove

CO2 from the atmosphere and store it as organic

carbon in the biosphere, contributing to carbon

neutrality. In this sense, we are focusing on

optimizing crop and livestock systems, improving the

health of forest ecosystems through soil carbon

sequestration, and using soils and marine ecosystems

as natural carbon sinks. They can provide

breakthrough technologies for carbon recovery and

immobilization in terrestrial and marine ecosystems,

and they are discussed in more detail in the following

subsections (Meckling, 2020).

Over the past 20 years, greenhouse gas emissions

from agricultural food production systems have

increased by about one-third. Emissions are mainly

related to the growth of crop and livestock

production: 4.2 GtCO2-eq. per year from enteric

fermentation, manure and pasture use and livestock

fuel use, 3.6 GtCO2-eq. per year from the use of

synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and crop production. for

human and animal food and 3.3 Gt CO2-eq. per year

as a result of changes in land use for crop and

livestock systems (Molchanova, 2019; Egorova,

2020). Given the uncertainty associated with the

large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage

technologies in food production systems, alternative

technologies or approaches are needed to reduce a

significant portion of GHG emissions from

MMTGE 2022 - I International Conference "Methods, models, technologies for sustainable development: agroclimatic projects and carbon

neutrality", Kadyrov Chechen State University Chechen Republic, Grozny, st. Sher

agricultural production systems. For example, we

need to change our eating habits to diets with less

animal products but more plant foods.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The use of fertilizers and water on arable land can

significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from

crop production systems. To increase nitrogen

content, new types of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers

need to be developed, such as slow and controlled

release nitrogen fertilizers, as well as nitrogen

fertilizers with urease and nitrification inhibitors. use

efficiency. More efficient farming systems,

fertilization and irrigation practices, and the use of

advanced digital farming technologies such as multi-

sensor drones that allow farmers to more efficiently

and accurately manage crops, soil, fertilization and

irrigation can reduce nitrogen fertilizer consumption

and N2O emissions (ICTs, 2019; Braverman, 2019).

For example, intermittent irrigation can significantly

reduce CH4 generation and increase CH4 oxidation

and thus may be an important choice for reducing

CH4 emissions from rice fields. Breeding crop

varieties with high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) can

reduce nitrogen fertilization rates and reduce nitrogen

oxide emissions. Using transgenic and gene editing

technologies, the introduction of proliferating cell

factor domain proteins such as OsTCP19-H into

modern rice cultivars has been shown to increase

NUE. Multisensor drone technology for plant

phenotyping can evaluate NUE at various nitrogen

dosages, thus allowing the selection of superior

genotypes with high NUE. In addition, the

development of methanogenesis inhibitors or the

addition of biochar to rice fields has great technical

potential to reduce CH4 emissions. Other options

include using microbes to help crops fix nitrogen,

thereby saving nitrogen fertilizers and reducing the

impact of nitrogen fertilizers. industry. management

of livestock production. Enteric fermentation

management is one of the key strategies for reducing

CH4 emissions in ruminant livestock systems.

Methane is a natural by-product of hydrogen removal

during enteric fermentation and is released by

methanogenic archaea. Methane inhibitors can be

obtained by inhibiting H2 metabolism for

methanogenesis (Murtazova, 2021). Such inhibitors

include alternative electron absorbers, phyto

compounds, ionophore antibiotics, and oil. Among

them, 3-nitrooxypropanol is the latest developed and

promising inhibitor of methanogenesis, which has

been shown to reduce methane emissions in

ruminants by up to 40%. Vaccination that induces the

host's immune system to produce antibodies capable

of suppressing methanogens can reduce CH4

emissions and is especially beneficial for grazing

systems. Considering that forage-fed ruminants

account for 70% of global methane emissions from

ruminants, the development of new, highly digestible

feeds with higher levels of non-fibrous carbohydrates

and lower levels of lignified fiber, as well as high

concentrations of secondary plant metabolites such as

tannins, saponins and essential oils can be helpful.

Manure management practices can significantly

reduce indirect GHG emissions by optimizing

rangeland management, farm energy generation and

low emission organic fertilizer production (Hibbard,

2019). The development of technologies that span the

entire manure management chain, such as advanced

tank composting to reduce carbon and nitrogen losses

and reverse osmosis to concentrate and extract

nitrogen from liquid manure for long-distance

transport, can maximize the potential for carbon and

nitrogen reuse. from manure. The use of manure to

produce insect or fungal proteins is another value-

added technology that can replace soy and fish

proteins in animal feed and reduce feed-related

greenhouse gas emissions. Animal breeding

techniques consist of genetically selecting highly

productive animals with lower GHG emission

intensity, thereby reducing the number of animals

needed to produce the same amount of food. Shotgun

metagenomics provides a platform for identifying

rumen microbial communities and genetic markers

associated with CH4 emissions, allowing selection of

cattle with lower CH4 emissions. Other advanced

technologies include the use of cloned farm animals

and the manipulation of traits by manipulating

targeted genes to increase productivity. The green

economy is relevant for all sectors of the economy in

rural areas. Links between rural and urban areas are

also important, as green investments and activities in

rural areas can contribute to green economic growth

in urban areas and vice versa. The transition to a green

economy will require action on many fronts, and

significant investment is likely to be needed to

generate the necessary momentum in some areas.

Rural Development Programs (RDPs) can play a key

role by supporting low-carbon, resource-efficient and

socially equitable investments, as well as promoting

sustainable natural resource management across

economic sectors, not just agriculture and forestry.

Although they are often small in scale and not

positioned as contributing to the growth of a green

economy, there are already many examples of

investments and initiatives that can contribute to job

Green Economy: Prospects for Sustainable Development

creation and economic growth in a low-carbon and

resource-efficient manner (Meckling, 2020).

However, achieving the full scale of the potential

transition will mean adopting existing best practices

on a much larger scale than currently, as well as

investing in new ideas, technologies and actions. This

requires new ways of working, such as collaborating

on territorially integrated initiatives and interacting

with a more diverse range of actors. Innovation and

entrepreneurship in rural areas should be encouraged,

as well as the transfer of knowledge, for example

through advice, training and mentoring.

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MMTGE 2022 - I International Conference "Methods, models, technologies for sustainable development: agroclimatic projects and carbon

neutrality", Kadyrov Chechen State University Chechen Republic, Grozny, st. Sher