Code Red for nature & people: Top solutions for scaling a green and fair COVID-19 recovery

This report summarizes the outcomes of the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) Global Meeting held from November 29 to December 3, 2021. The event brought together 359 participants from over 45 countries to discuss strategies for a green and fair COVID-19 recovery, focusing on nature, inequality, and the energy transition. The meeting culminated in a 'Declaration on a green COVID-19 recovery' calling for structural economic transformation to achieve nature-positive and net-zero economies.

• The GEC identifies a 'Code Red' situation where climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and planetary boundaries are entering dangerous territory, while the COVID-19 pandemic has created a 'new poor' and accelerated inequality between rich and poor.
• Despite the potential for COVID-19 stimulus packages to accelerate a green transition, nature and biodiversity have been largely ignored in these packages. The GEC argues that a new vision for biodiversity is needed that focuses on transformation rather than just conservation.
• Global financial priorities remain skewed toward fossil fuels; the G20 has pledged at least $325 billion to support fossil fuels since January 2020, which exceeds the $279 billion pledged for clean energy.
• The GEC asserts that the social contract is broken, leading to increased populism and unrest. They propose building a progressive, intersectional alliance to renegotiate a new social contract to support the transition to a green and fair economy.
• The meeting resulted in a 'Declaration on a green COVID-19 recovery' which demands that power-holders end fossil fuel subsidies and investment, deliver a green recovery finance package for the global south, and invest in green infrastructure and reskilling.

APA

Green Economy Coalition (2021). Code Red for nature & people: Top solutions for scaling a green and fair COVID-19 recovery. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GM2021/Global-Meeting-2021-Summary-v1.0.pdf

Chicago

Green Economy Coalition. Code Red for nature & people: Top solutions for scaling a green and fair COVID-19 recovery. 2021. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GM2021/Global-Meeting-2021-Summary-v1.0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Economy Coalition |title=Code Red for nature & people: Top solutions for scaling a green and fair COVID-19 recovery |date=2021 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GM2021/Global-Meeting-2021-Summary-v1.0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greeneconomycoalition2021code, author = {{Green Economy Coalition}}, title = {{Code Red for nature \& people: Top solutions for scaling a green and fair COVID-19 recovery}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GM2021/Global-Meeting-2021-Summary-v1.0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }