27 October 2020, NIICE Commentary 6394
Damni Kain
The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the discourse of human history while creating ripple effects on almost all spheres of importance. The resultant shrinking economy is a witness to loss of revenue and employment, deterioration of labour market and human resource. Restricted social mobility, limited migration and violation of human rights have deeply changed the course of social justice amidst the pandemic, hence exposing the fissures of pre-existing societal inequalities. The emerging contours of geo-politics calls for a renewed sense of leadership considering a challenging set of responsibilities which avoids a ‘vaccine nationalism’ at a time when fighting a global pandemic requires a global cooperation. A common thread for a post-COVID-19 recovery in all sectors undergoing the consequential effects of the pandemic demands the prioritization of the hitherto neglected ‘sustainable development.’ This concept is most prominently elucidated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. COVID-19 has provided a pivotal moment where our actions taken today can redirect the trajectory of human history. We stand at a critical juncture from where the human society can either choose to ‘go back’ to the old model of development or ‘progress forward’ and mitigate future threats by rethinking upon the idea of “development” and “security”.
Sustainable Development: The Way Forward
The pandemic shows us the inherent sagacity of the SDG’s. UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth rightly remarked that the pandemic’s disproportionate effects on marginalized communities indicate that “the principles on which the sustainable development goals were found are very sound. COVID-19 reinforces the importance of green economy approaches, of inclusivity. Partnership is needed more than ever.” In a similar vein, UNDP administrator, Achim Steiner iterated, “As we work through response and recovery from the shocks of the pandemic, the Sustainable Development Goals need to be designed into the DNA of global recovery.”
The aspiration to ‘leave no one behind’ by 2030 led to the adoption of the Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 which was a joint agreement signed between the 193 UN member states. This agenda included 17 Sustainable Development Goals across the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The goals provided a framework of shared action “for people, planet and prosperity”. These targets are “global in nature and universally applicable, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.” The SDG’s call for an international collaborative partnership for “three dimensions of sustainable development – economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion.”
A green post-COVID-19 recovery requires revisiting the sustainable development goals aiming at no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, innovation in industry and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action and partnership for the goals.
Key Policy Recommendations
Rebuilding our economies post-COVID-19 gives a unique opportunity to overcome the persisting challenge of addressing sustainability and economic development. Education, learning and awareness can underpin a green economic recovery from the pandemic. Much of the key policy recommendations from various official international and national organisations echo a pattern already addressed in the long term UN Sustainable Development Goals.
WHO laid down a set of prescriptions and actionables for a healthy and green recovery as a part of the WHO manifesto regarding COVID-19. It clearly articulated that, “attempting to save money by neglecting environmental protection, emergency preparedness, health systems, and social safety nets, has proven to be a false economy – and the bill is now being paid many times over.”
WHO provided six prescriptions resembling the environmental goals of Agenda 2030 which asks to protect and preserve the source of human health that is nature. Economies rely on environmental health. Destruction of wildlife by humans are the source of 60 percent of infectious diseases originating from animals. Climate resilient health, implementation of WHO Chemicals Road Map (2017) and International Health Regulations (2005) and sustainable infrastructure can reduce the loss of ecosystem, protect biodiversity and prevent public health emergencies. The manifesto calls for an immediate investment in essential services, from water and sanitation to clean energy in healthcare facilities. WHO recommends the promotion of healthy sustainable food systems and liveable cities to mitigate the devastating effects of COVID-19.
UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres called for the inclusion of Climate Action (UN Sustainable Development Goal 13) in COVID-19 recovery and demarcated six climate actions like investing in green jobs and businesses, financing green economies, incorporating assessments of climate risks into financial systems, public policy making and infrastructure as vital plans.
The IMF Fiscal Affairs Department rightly said, “the COVID-19 crisis won’t change the climate, but the response will”. In the same regards it recommends fiscal policy makers a “green recovery” by boosting ‘climate-smart’ infrastructure, avoiding carbon-intensive investments, raising carbon taxes, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. Further, assessment of the climate impact of support measures become important. Green economy is not only an ‘end product’ but a process of transition to economies that are low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Creating jobs while reducing environmental destruction needs to be deemed as an essential component of national and international recovery plans to mitigate COVID-19.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) offered policy recommendations which advises a raising of national targets, enhancing climate pledges and public intervention by securing strategic finance, steering investment away from fossil fuels, and making bailouts conditional on climate action. IRENA highlights a ‘heating and cooling investment’ by calling up transition-related technologies through mandates and creating the infrastructure for district systems and green hydrogen. Protecting existing jobs, supporting workforce expansion in transition-related fields, coordinating with industries and developing education and training to minimise skill gap is important for an economic recovery while prioritizing environmental health as inter-twined with human health.
Conclusion
The ongoing global pandemic, hence, provides a two-way mechanism of re-enforcement of plans. On one hand the SDG’s provide a framework for a resilient, healthy and ‘green’ post-COVID-19 recovery by recognizing the role of environment in the systematic reduction of the risk of future threats, while on the other hand, this same opportunity of responding to COVID-19 can powerfully accelerate the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Paul Ladd, Director of UNRISD rightly remarked, “The 2030 Agenda commits that we will leave no one behind in our quest for sustainable development. With the COVID-19 crisis amplifying the deep and dangerous inequalities that already exist across the globe and in our communities, there is a real and pressing risk of pushing the most vulnerable people yet further behind. Building green and fair economies – that guarantee human rights and ensure gender equality – will be critical in putting the world on a path of sustainability, resilience, and social justice.” Any environmental benefit from the pandemic will be temporary and short-lived unless right and far-sighted policy measures are taken. COVID-19 is not only a wakeup call but a once in a generation opportunity to redefine the power structure of human history to make it sustainable, equitable and peaceful.
