Green recovery can revive virus-hit economies and tackle climate change - study

(Reuters, 4 May 2020) Huge financial packages to cushion shock of coronavirus pandemic are a unique opportunity to drive a shift to a low-carbon future, say economists.

Massive programmes of green public investment would be the most cost-effective way both to revive virus-hit economies and strike a decisive blow against climate change, top U.S. and British economists said in a study published on Tuesday.

With co-authors including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz from Columbia University and prominent British climate expert Lord Nicholas Stern, the findings are likely to fuel calls for "green recoveries" gathering momentum around the world.

"The COVID-19 crisis could mark a turning point in progress on climate change," the authors wrote, adding that much would depend on policy choices made in the next six months.

With major economies drawing up enormous economic packages to cushion the shock of the coronavirus pandemic, many investors, politicians and businesses see a unique opportunity to drive a shift to a low-carbon future.

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Reuters, 4 May 2020: Green recovery can revive virus-hit economies and tackle climate change - study