When the coronavirus pandemic hit and international shipping lanes suddenly fell silent, scientists seized upon the opportunity to study the ocean’s soundscapes to measure how the reduction in marine activity altered noise levels and impacted species in ocean ecosystems, ranging from coral reefs to whales.
In India, the lockdown dramatically improved air quality and some researchers concluded that the reduction of environmental pollution could be explained by the restriction of anthropogenic activities during the lockdowns. Such restrictions, however, had a devastating impact on labour, jobs and small-scale enterprises, especially in cities, which underscores the intrinsic connection between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the pandemic. When reports from South America and East Africa indicated that poaching, illegal mining and deforestation rose quickly in the pandemic’s wake, some governments worked to provide alternative livelihoods for rural communities.
A sustainable and equitable approach to recovery from COVID-19 is possible and required, but not easy to implement given the immediate priorities and pressures—especially in developing countries—as the world reels from new variants, growing inequalities and surging debts. A stronger global response is required.
The world has a crucial opportunity this June to reflect, connect and act on ways to achieve a sustainable and equitable recovery that also address the health of the planet for our collective wellbeing, as global leaders come together for Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity. This high-level meeting includes a leadership dialogue dedicated to the achievement of a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Global leadership on this issue is vital now more than ever to ensure that we leverage this moment to align responses to address inequity and the health of people and the planet—both in the immediate and longer term.
When the notion of sustainable and equitable recovery from the pandemic emerged, it was built around the belief that a global crisis could best be met with a global response. Such a response offers an opportunity to move forward with empathy and solidarity towards innovative collective actions for better futures away from the business as usual. Simply stated, the world needed to “Build Back Better”. But recent trends and investments show little promise of a greater environmental stewardship or global equality.
According to the Global Recovery Observatory, only 5 per cent of all COVID-19 rescue and recovery spending will have “positive green characteristics”, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting nature. In addition, 90 per cent of green recovery spending is accounted for by only seven countries, threatening to reinforce dangerous pre-pandemic social, cultural and economic inequities.
That funding gap is even clearer in its implications when you consider that the world’s advanced economies invested USD 11,826 per capita in recovery spending, while low-income countries spent just USD 57 per capita. Emerging, developing and low-income economies have been hit hardest by the pandemic and are also the most vulnerable to the unfolding planetary crises. Unlocking finance and innovations are key to an equitable and sustainable recovery.
Climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution and waste, and inequality, are not inevitable. They are a result of our socioeconomic systems, our current consumption and production practices. We need to go into “emergency mode” to address the crises we face; yet the political and economic responses billed as part of the Green Recovery fall far short of getting the world closer to its environmental and social goals as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Re-investment in the same infrastructure and industries that fuelled the environmental and social crises is short term and will do little to alter greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Moreover, it will not support the creation of new skills in green and decent jobs and will fail to enhance resilience to climate and social vulnerabilities. Additionally, and of greater concern, the trillions of dollars that have been injected into the global economy, as well as mounting debt in the developing world, are only adding to growing intra- and intergenerational inequity.
Is it easy to innovate at a high political level? The Secretary-General of the UN, Antònio Guterres, has outlined six actions for sustainable recovery: investing in green jobs; not bailing out polluting industries; ending fossil fuel subsidies; accounting for climate risk in all financial and policy decisions; working together; and—most importantly—leaving no one behind. None of these are easy, and all of them will require remarkable courage, vision and leadership. But the payoffs of a sustainable and equitable recovery are enormous and will have long-lasting benefits to quality of life and human development.
Investment in energy-efficient and renewable projects generates five times more jobs per USD 1 million than investments in fossil fuels. The green transport industry alone offers dramatic social benefits, including better air quality, improved health outcomes, and higher traffic safety results.
There are signs that some nations at both ends of the economic spectrum are realizing these opportunities. Poland recently earmarked USD 2.1 billion to position itself as a European leader in the production and adoption of electric vehicles, and Spain dedicated over USD 7.2 billion for a recovery plan meant to spur a “just and inclusive energy transition” through direct investment. In South Korea, a Green Recovery program allocated USD 53.6 billion to green investments that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 16.2 million tonnes, relying on green industry innovation, the construction of “green infrastructure”, and green energy.
The African Union, meanwhile, launched a five-year Green Recovery Action Plan that will assist Member States in post-COVID-19 recovery and compliment the African Green Stimulus Programme. As a result, greater emphasis will be placed on green fiscal policies and domestic spending, enhanced regulatory capacity, and better connection to sustainable finance and infrastructure—essential links for a continent that lost over 30 million jobs as a result of the COVID-19 recession.
As a multistakeholder meeting that engages a wide range of actors, from world leaders to the private sector, interfaith groups to indigenous peoples, youth to scientists, Stockholm+50 provides a global platform to build trust, recommit to responsibility and catalyze actions towards a healthy planet for the prosperity of all.