Green recovery is the only sane response to COVID

A statement by the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) arguing that the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be a 'green recovery' to avoid locking the world into future crises related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality.

• The COVID-19 pandemic represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to implement large-scale economic change and address systemic risks, including the failure to manage the human relationship with nature. However, the GEC notes that many governments are currently focusing on immediate stabilization or returning to 'business as usual' practices that may actually accelerate climate breakdown and biodiversity loss.
• A 'green recovery' is defined as a policy pathway that uses the economic response to COVID-19 to address environmental and social challenges. This requires a transition from short-term green stimulus to long-term structural economic transformations that make livelihoods and economies more resilient to inequality, biodiversity collapse, and climate change.
• The GEC asserts that governments must lead the green recovery by establishing a clear vision that includes financing solutions, stimulus priorities, and frameworks for long-term investment. Other stakeholders also have specific roles: businesses must support policy with green investments, civil society must maintain pressure for transparency, financial providers must mainstream green recovery parameters, and the media must frame the situation as an existential choice.
• The GEC proposes six recommendations to ensure an impactful green recovery: creating strategic guidance for governments; fostering societal debate and ownership; aligning finance providers and rating agencies; encouraging leadership from G7, G20, the EU, US, and China; ensuring transparency through civil society pressure; and utilizing global communications to scrutinize progress.

APA

Greenfield, O. (2021). Green recovery is the only sane response to COVID. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/a-sane-response-to-covid-green-recovery

Chicago

Greenfield, Oliver. Green recovery is the only sane response to COVID. Green Economy Coalition, 2021. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/a-sane-response-to-covid-green-recovery.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Greenfield |first1=Oliver |title=Green recovery is the only sane response to COVID |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=26 January 2021 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/a-sane-response-to-covid-green-recovery |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{greenfield2021green, author = {Greenfield, Oliver}, title = {{Green recovery is the only sane response to COVID}}, publisher = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/a-sane-response-to-covid-green-recovery}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }