The idea of a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is gaining traction around the world. The UK recently pledged to invest £350 million to cut emissions from heavy industry. South Korea promised to create 1.9 million jobs by developing green technologies. China presented a plan to become carbon neutral before 2060.
And, on September 16, European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, promoted the EU Green Deal as the bloc’s strategy for reviving economic activity. In her speech, she pledged to cut at least 55% of the EU’s total emissions by 2030 – a goal that the European parliament later increased to 60%.
World leaders have rightly seized on the pandemic as a chance to build more sustainable economies, whether it’s boosting investment in green energy or curbing unemployment by announcing new jobs retrofitting housing. What’s missing though, are the loud and inconvenient voices from the streets