We can go green if we don’t let the crisis go to waste
Covid-19 crisis offers an opportunity to reset our unsustainable development pathway and tackle climate change and injustice
After the immediate reaction dealing with the human tragedy of the lockdown, SA is now working on shaping its medium-term response to the Covid-19 crisis. Measures to stimulate the economy while enacting meaningful change provide a unique opportunity to reset our unsustainable development pathway and foster a green recovery — one that builds an inclusive, job-rich and resilient society.
To do this we need ideas, planning and policies to support the many options open to the country. If these are not in place, stimulus measures for the “old economy” run the risk of locking in unsustainable and increasingly uncompetitive sectors. This is a risk worldwide. Many economic recovery packages focus on traditional responses (such as bailouts to fossil fuel companies) and do not include strong, enforceable conditions to contain polluting or uncompetitive firms and help them pivot to long-term sustainability...
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