During the 2008 recession, the green economy kept quietly motoring along, providing significant investment opportunities and jobs. It will do so again now. To what extent it contributes to our recovery is really in the hands of the governments and large corporations. With Brent crude trading negatively today, perhaps we will finally see these governments and companies truly get behind the energy transition; not just for the environment but, for the economy too. There will never be a better time to push on. We have to make something positive from this terrible situation. Make sure for all the lives lost we save many more through cleaner energy, cleaner air and significant economic stimulus. Back major green infrastructure. (Hopkinson, 2020)

Renewable energy could power an economic recovery from Covid-19 by spurring global GDP gains of almost $100tn (£80tn) between now and 2050, according to a report by International Renewable Energy Agency. The agency’s landmark report found that accelerating investment in renewable energy would help tackle the climate crisis and would in effect pay for itself. Investing in renewable energy would deliver global GDP gains of $98tn above a business-as-usual scenario by 2050 by returning between $3 and $8 on every dollar invested. It would also quadruple the number of jobs in the sector to 42m over the next 30 years, and measurably improve global health and welfare scores, according to the report. (and, April 2020)

“As the world looks to recover from the current health and economic crises, we face a choice: we can pursue a modern, clean, healthy energy system, or we can go back to the old, polluting ways of doing business. We must choose the former.” said Andrew Steer, chief executive of the World Resources Institute.

Government all over the globe should look at it as bailout from the current economic downturn and a way to solve the problem of unemployment faced by the leading world economies.

“A green recovery is essential as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. The world will benefit economically, environmentally and socially by focusing on clean energy, aligning economic stimulus and policy packages with climate goals is crucial for a long-term viable and healthy economy.” Ignacio Galán, the chairman and CEO of the Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola, which owns Scottish Power. (Ambrose, 2020)