Parliamentarians Examine COVID-19, Building Back Better, and Climate Change
AUGUST 4, 2020, NEW YORK – Today the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and Parliamentarians for the Global Goals (PFGG) organized a high-level dialogue on climate change and COVID-19. Participants included parliamentarians and their staff from over 60 countries, as well as experts on climate policy. Experts shared thoughts on how Parliamentarians can ensure economic recovery packages support the transition away from fossil fuels, to simultaneously meet Paris Agreement committments while rebuilding economies post-COVID.
Gabriela Cuevas, President of the IPU, opened the session by describing some of the environmental benefits of lockdowns in various countries, including dramatic declines in air pollution and the return of blue skies and good air quality. She emphasized that this was an important reminder of how unnatural our pre-COVID "normal" was, and called on Parliamentarians to act to maintain these benefits post-recovery. In his opening remarks, Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN, emphasized the importance of leadership in fighting these complex issues, and noted that more gender equality in leadership leads to more rapid and lasting change. Sachs also noted that countries that are performing poorly on climate are also doing poorly on COVID-19, and it is because of lack of leadership, the strong influence of corporations on politics, and a disrespect or suspicion of the scientific community and their recommendations. He closed by emphasizing that the climate crisis is extremely urgent, is a direct threat to humanity's ability to exist, and must be included in economic recovery packages.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), noted the importance of Parliamentarians in supporting multilateralism, which in the past few decades has been successful at addressing global issues including poverty, access to education, gender equality, and protecting the ozone layer. She expressed hope that in the future we will remember the COVID-19 crisis as the incident that moved us onto a sustainable, resilient, and climate friendly path. She noted that we are not there yet, citing a statistic that while nearly $12 trillion has been committed to COVID recovery, only $18 billon of that is targeted for investments in a green recovery. She also recommended governments adopt more transparent methods to report on climate finance.
Selwin Charles Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action, repeated and emphasized the need for urgent action to address both the climate and COVID-19 crises. Hart summarized the UN Secretary-General's six recommendations for economic recovery plans, namely that they: (i) invest in green sectors and jobs, (ii) make corporate bailouts conditional for high-emitting firms and industries, linking support to emission reduction targets or carbon disclosures, (iii) ensure a just transition that leaves no one behind, (iv) take climate risks and opportunities into account in financial and policy decisions, (v) phase out fossil fuels, and (vi) strengthen multilateralism, international coordination, and solidarity. Hart also made five requests of Parliamentarians, that they (i) champion climate action in their countries, (ii) champion multilateralism, (iii) champion the Paris Agreement and update nationally determined contributions (NDCs), (iv) engage all sectors of society and all stakeholders, and (v) maintain ODA and climate finance committments so support is predictable for the countries that depend on it.
Phoebe Koundouri, Professor at the School of Economics at the Athens University of Economics & Business, delivered slides looking at the EU Green Deal and COVID-19. She noted the value of the European example as a model for other regional coalitions or governments interested in implementing similar policies. Koundouri also highlighted the role of Parliamentarians in pushing ambitious climate legislation, noting that policies enacted today are insufficient to cut emissions to the levels needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. She also noted that a number of lessons were learned following the 2008 financial crisis, and these can help us avoid certain pitfalls in the current recovery and move towards a circular economy rather than business-as-usual.
Kirsten Brosbøl, Founder of Parliamentarians for the Global Goals, moderated a lively discussion where several Parliamentarians made statements. Many highlighted plans for green recovery and COVID-19 response in their own countries, while others asked how to overcome obstacles in passing such policies, particularly divisive politics and how to build consensus. One suggested adding health as a fourth pillar of sustainable development (in addition to the economy, society, and the environment), while another posited that the transition to online work and improvements in videoconferencing during the pandemic could lead to some lasting reductions in emissions. A couple participants highlighted the importance of climate finance for their own countries, noting that the most vulnerable often have the fewest resources to adapt, while also contributing least to global emissions.
In her closing remarks, Phoebe Koundouri noted that the pandemic has laid bare how interconnected our countries and economies are, and that the world is only as resilient as the least resilient country. She called for Parliamentarians to work for a participatory, inclusive, and green recovery, and recommended investments in renewable energy infrastructure. Selwin Hart recognized that while many countries are looking inward in these difficult times, that instead national policies should consider alignment with global objectives, such as the Paris Agreement, and also reminded participants that energy-related pollution is a major contributor to poor health.
Patricia Espinosa's closing remarks noted that while the powers of Parliaments vary from country to country, in all cases they do have the ability to move countries in the right direction with regards to climate change. She also emphasized that the crises we face today, COVID-19, the economic crisis, and climate change, are interlinked and must all be addressed if we are to have a lasting recovery, and recommended Parliamentarians take a broad approach to address issues that cut across committees on specific issues. Gabriela Cuevas asked Parliamentarians to take the recommendations heard today and to translate them into practical actions to address the current situation, particularly through legislation, budgeting, and the sharing of best practice.
This was the third in a series of four webinars on COVID-19 response and the SDGs designed for and with Parliamentarians around the world. They are meant as a forum for peer-to-peer learning, mutual inspiration, and exchange of best practices that can inspire more political action on SDGs.