Clean energy is the key to COVID-19 recovery

Clean energy is the key to COVID-19 recovery

The latest United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report indicates that the world’s recovery is very fragile and far from back on track. For this, they say that extreme mitigation and adaptation measures are necessary. For instance, CO2 emissions in G20 countries are supposed to undergo a major decline by 2020. This suggests that instead of moving forward parts of the world are trying to go back on track. Though the document's main headline focuses on the historic pollution reduction milestone, the development of clean energy sources globally is also in focus. According to the report, many countries have set ambitious renewable portfolios. All these policies and technological improvements led to a significant boost in clean energy sources such as hydropower, solar, and wind – they replaced fossil fuels as the marginal cost of electricity from renewable sources decreased throughout 2020.

Importance of continuous energy supply during the pandemic-

Hospitals and healthcare facilities require continuous energy supply to function 24X7. In addition, they require equipment that is compatible with the change in voltage from the grid to generator frequency so as not to disrupt the patient's treatment.

When the world is gripped by a deadly pandemic, the importance of maintaining the electricity supply for the functioning of work from home, distance learning and, communication of essential health information status all required uninterrupted power.

Energy plays a significant role in the ability of a country to function during a pandemic. Electricity provides not only light and heat, but also the means to refrigerate essential medicines and vaccines, as well as equipment used for communication and travel.

The importance of a continuous energy supply during the pandemic cannot be emphasized enough. Cold chain systems and logistics is one of the ways where electricity helps to maintain steady temperatures. This is essential for the proper transportation, distribution, and storage of the Covid-19 vaccine.

How to make society more resilient to future crises such as COVID-19?

Governments should make meaningful progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The government can achieve this by addressing the systemic issues that made societies more vulnerable to COVID-19. Such as addressing issues in health, decent work, poverty and socio-economic inequalities, and increasing the ability of people to cope with shocks and stresses.

Fiscal stimulus packages tend to focus on taxes, either through cutting or raising them by a percentage of GDP. The power to tax is the power to pay. Meaning that the choice of whether to levy or lower taxes will dictate whether more or less ‘government’ money (in reality your money and my money) is available for spending. This article aims to discuss options for fiscal policy that reduce our vulnerability to crises like COVID-19, while meeting our needs for resilience in the future.

Advantages of promoting clean energy

The International Energy Agency projects an increase in employment from additional investment in renewable energy by 2020. It's estimated that increase the world's solar capacity will create two million jobs, while boosting the world's wind power capacity millions of jobs will be created.

Each government is trying to take measures to make their infrastructure low-carbon. While some states in the U.S. are leading low-carbon targets, many other countries are also adopting these policies. This will take a step closer towards achieving ambitious climate pledges, and the Paris Climate deal.