The article addresses the issues related to sustainable inland waterway transport in the context of stimulating transformations towards a green economy. The considerations focused on the second-largest river in Poland – the Oder. The clear economic needs and benefits arising from the river’s regulation and the restoration of its transport capabilities were juxtaposed with the results of a study regarding the perception of these changes by the public opinion. To clarify, these were the residents of the Oder River Basin, thus people in the immediate impact area of the river.
The green economy is one of the important tools to ensure the sustainable development of any country. Green economy is defined as an economy with a high level of quality of life of the population, careful and rational use of natural resources in the interests of present and future generations and in accordance with the country’s international environmental obligations. The paper tackles a case of Kazakhstan. New policy towards green economy, as it is claimed, provides the basis for deep systemic reforms to improve the welfare, quality of life of the population of Kazakhstan and the country’s entry into a list of the 50 most developed countries in the world. In modern conditions, the relationship of economic development with changes in the environment, the impact on many forms of international economic relations is an important feature of the globalization of the economy. One of the most pressing issues among the international community is the issue of introducing a green economy, which is a reliable driving force of economic growth in emerging markets, providing new opportunities of overcoming the economic crisis. The paper analyzes efforts of Kazakhstan trough its active economic policy to transform its economy into green one.