The United Nations Program for Environment UNEP launched the green initiative to mobilize and redirect the global economy towards investments in clean technologies and natural infrastructures such as the best bet for economic growth, combat climate change and job growth to overcome poverty in the twenty-first century.

Through an investigation in response to the current financial crisis and economic product of the traditional model, it is noted that it would be possible through a Global Green New Deal urge the integration of environmental issues in the economic measures that are being articulated to address the crisis and move towards a so-called green economy.

Saving green or ecological economics, argues that through economic investment in certain environmental areas can contribute in the short term, recovery and sustained economic growth with positive contribution to job creation, protection of vulnerable groups and poverty reduction. In the medium term, could reduce the dependence on carbon and degradation of ecosystems setting up an environmentally sustainable economy.

The Global Green New Deal, proposed that the economies of the G20 allocate 1% of GDP in activities closely related to the environmental issue to provide a critical mass of green infrastructure, leveraging the potential that opens the crisis to redirect policies and investments sectors to incorporate environmental variable.

These measures include investment in energy efficiency of residential buildings (green construction), investment in renewables (wind, solar photovoltaic), sustainable transport (transport planning with low carbon fuels and increased electrification of transport) and reducing emissions for a sustainable agriculture (use of biofuels). These measures are aimed at achieving the MDGs especially to end extreme poverty by 2025.

Many leaders have endorsed this idea by incorporating it through fiscal stimulus plans. In the progressive summit held last April in Chile, for example, Zapatero defended a pledge to change based on research and technology and solidarity in the fight against poverty by aiming for a green economy.

For his part, U.S. President Barak Obama, anticipating the actions of UNEP noted the Campaign as proposed energy plan green economy with measures to create 5 million jobs, modernize the power grid, making public buildings and housing for a increased energy efficiency, increase renewable energy production, improve mass transit and rail network to reduce gasoline consumption.