The impact of COVID-19 and recovery packages on emission pathways to 2030: Examples and lessons learned
Information
Stockholm+50
Sweden
Speakers:
- Takeshi Kuramochi, NewClimate Institute,
- Michel den Elzen, Netherlands Environmental Agency
- Glen Peters, Centre for International Climate Research (CICERO)
- Marie Gustafsson, South Pole
- Jean-Paul Adam, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Welcome by Susanne Pedersen, Director, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC)
Closing remarks by Hans Jakob Eriksen, Nordic Council of Ministers
Moderated by Anne Olhoff, CONCITO – Denmark’s Green Think Tank
The COVID-19 pandemic happened at a critical time in global climate policy. Within the present decade, countries around the world must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 7.6% annually to reach the 1.5°C goal set by the Paris Agreement.
The findings of the publications and of the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2021 demonstrate that the dip in emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, will not remain low in the near- and long-term future unless a transformative shift takes place. However, how can we ensure that emissions decrease in a sustainable and inclusive manner?
In this panel dialogue, we explore the results of two reports commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers regarding the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated rescue and recovery packages, and its role in uplifting the emissions reductions envisioned by the Paris Agreement.
The findings of the project demonstrate that, globally, fiscal rescue and recovery spending since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have only partially reflected governments’ pledges of a low-carbon or ‘green’ recovery. As such, we seek to inspire regional and international stakeholders to seize the still available opportunities for transformational change post-COVID in the medium and long-term by covering questions such as:
- Which opportunities have the Nordics and Europe seized, and which were missed in the context of the pandemic?
- What specific lessons can be learned from the region in terms of COVID-19 rescue and recovery vis-à-vis low carbon development for the short and long term?