Let's not return to normal, declare UN directives

The world before COVID-19 looks very attractive right now. In light of the disease, mass unemployment and social distancing, a return to pre-pandemic normality seems welcome, however, we must remember what normality was. What was the old normal like? Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana(1) and Inger Andersen(2), senior UN officials, commented in IPS News that the normal thing was to obtain 85% of our energy from fossil fuels and lose 7 million people a year due to air pollution . Global temperatures were expected to rise by more than 3.5°C by the end of the century and island nations would face extinction. Normally, one in eight species was in danger of disappearing, wild spaces were increasingly shrinking, and the illegal wildlife trade was rampant. The normal contributed to causing this pandemic We must also remember that the effects of COVID-19 on health, jobs and economies are simply a flash version of what climate change is predicted to bring, and in some places already has. Unless we aspire to a better normal with recovery, we are treating the symptom, not the disease. We must build back better than before.

The new normal Many governments are preparing stimulus and aid packages to support COVID-19 recovery. Trillions of dollars will be pumped into the economy across Asia and the Pacific. These stimulus measures should help us achieve a better normal, a greener and more equitable normal. As? A recent survey of 230 economists from 53 countries suggests that green and climate-friendly stimulus measures are the best options for economic recovery, offering the largest short- and long-term economic multipliers. The largest wind turbine in the world Even before the pandemic, the Special Database United Nations determined that climate action could unleash economic benefits worth $26 trillion by 2030, creating more than 65 million new jobs and preventing 700,000 premature deaths from pollution. from air. Construction Governments have no shortage of options when it comes to steering a green and equitable stimulus package; can offer support to the construction industry to develop energy efficient and zero energy buildings; This is a sector with a high level of employment and investments can be made quickly. Mobility and communication It may be tempting to increase funding for infrastructure like roads, but that funding can go toward improved, greener public transportation systems to serve more people.



Greater public transport capacity will reduce the load on roads and reduce air pollution and emissions. The lockdown has shown that it is possible to rely more on information technology to decentralize business operations, reducing wasted time and carbon produced in commuting and travelling. Governments should now consider offering incentives to companies that invest in such solutions for their operations. Many industries will seek bailouts to recover. There is no time like the present for governments to include language requiring companies to work towards climate neutrality. Government-supported airlines should be asked to make stronger commitments and take bolder steps to reduce emissions, which will be necessary anyway for the industry to ensure long-term sustainability and employment for millions of people. who depend on it. The example is being set by governments that have made their support dependent on energy efficiency targets and the transfer of short-haul flights to rail. Bailouts to the auto industry can be directed toward investments in the production of electric vehicles, batteries and efficiency technology.