Around the world, trillions of dollars have been deployed as part of COVID-19 stimulus packages. After the 2008 financial crisis, it was found that stimulus packages led to the largest emissions increase in half a century. The growth in climate pledges by countries and corporations in 2020 showed that most are cautious of repeating the same mistake.
“Environmental and social benefit should be an inherent goal of any stimulus, rather than treating sustainability as a ‘luxury good’,” said Ms. Meixi Gan, the SIIA’s Deputy Director of Sustainability, in this article by The Straits Times.