How to make the COVID-19 recovery sustainable, just and resilient

The global economy can shrink by up to 3 percent because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to what the International Monetary Fund calls “the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression.” That parallel makes clear: The pandemic is a hugely disruptive force.

The world will have to recover from this disruption for many years to come. Crafting and deciding on recovery packages and measures has become the order of the day for governments, central banks, and international institutions. A narrow policy window has thus been opening up to steer economic development onto more sustainable, equitable and net-zero emissions pathways.

Moderated by Mark Leon Goldberg, host of the Global Dispatches podcast, Sweden’s deputy prime minister Isabella Lövin, president and CEO of heavy vehicle manufacturer Scania, Henrik Henriksson, the Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Rachel Kyte, and SEI US Centre Director Michael Lazarus discussed recovery measures that can catalyze industry transition activities, and what decision makers can do to ensure a sustainable, just and resilient recovery.

The discussion was informed by our background brief on shaping a sustainable and low-carbon recovery, and edited into an episode of the Global Dispatches podcast.