engleski

Is Greece ‘greener’ than the data suggest? Calculation of Green GDP and comparison with neighboring countries

Is Greece ‘greener’ than the current economic indicators show? GDP is used as the leading economic indicator of economic growth and progress, however, as a measure, among other things, it lacks an environmental component. In this paper, we have analyzed a broaden Green GDP measure for Greece and neighboring countries by comparing them in order, to compensate for the shortcomings of environmental components in GDP. Green GDP consists of standard GDP indicator minus the costs of pollution, overexploitation of resources, and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. In this way, or with this calculation method, we have obtained a more detailed and precise presentation of economic growth that can exist at the expense of ecological domain. The paper’s main objective is to show whether Greece and neighboring countries, which have the same geographical position, have the same or different environmental policies and how much this policy affects economic development and vice versa. Inclusion of pollution or exploitation of resources explains more realistically economic growth that is sure to pay off in the future for future generations. In this way, we can calculate how much our progress today is a burden for our children or their children in the future, and we can assess whether today’s economic growth is worth it in such a way.

Green GDP ; cost of pollution ; CO2 emissions ; cost of pollution ; Greece

17th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology CEST2021, 1-4 September 2021, Athens, Greece. The conference is organized by the Global Network of Environmental Science and Technology jointly with the University of the Aegean (Greece) and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece).