Driving a sustainable recovery

The “2020 Climate Transparency Report” provides an overview of all G20 countries, in their transition towards a net-zero emissions economy, providing country ratings, and identifying leaders and laggards. This year it also analyzes the responses of governments to face the COVID-19 crisis, offering a series of recommendations to promote a greener recovery.

The report highlights the following key findings:

• 2020 has shown how the world is vulnerable to intersecting crises, such as health, climate and economic crisis: The report points out how “the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been compounded by other vulnerabilities” and how the economic Covid-19 crisis could lead to an increase of 25 million unemployed people, 100 million additional people living in poverty, and the number of people facing acute food insecurity doubling to 265 million.
• Strong differences between G-20 countries in terms of fiscal stimulus to deal with Covid-19 crisis:  According to the report the unprecedented fiscal stimulus totaled $12.1tn (by mid-October), but ambition is extremely different among countries: “from approximately $17,200/per capita in Japan to $6,500 in South Korea. Emerging economies range from around $1,000/per capita in Brazil to less than $200 in Indonesia”. The report calls to avoid global divergence in Covid 19´s public support packages and to promote greater international cooperation to “contribute to a robust and sustainable global recovery”.
• Paris agreement goals are at risk even with a projected decrease this year:  “This reduction appears to be temporary, mainly as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Without transformational climate action emissions growth will rebound and the goals of the Paris Agreement will not be reached”. 
• Current COVID-19 recovery packages are moving in the opposite direction: Approx. 30% of stimulus is going into environmentally-intensive sectors (coal, oil, airlines and auto). The EU package contains the strongest contribution towards environmental and climate objectives among all G20 members. In this regard, the report provides recommendations to align recovery plans with climate long term goals, thus greening the recovery.