Insights Blog

The post-COVID-19 reconstruction phase should be centred around the green economy, the concept of which enables economic growth and investment while increasing environmental quality and social inclusiveness. A key aspect of the green economy is that it reduces water-energy-food nexus pressures.

COVID-19 has struck at the core of global value chains hub regions, including China, Europe and the US. The pandemic has severe implications for international production networks and may leave its legacy for years to come. This opinion piece is part of a series of articles by UNIDO's Department of Policy Research and Statistics.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stands in solidarity with the billions of people around the world that are suffering the impact of the global pandemic of COVID-19.

Find out how these low-tech, low-emission devices are salvaging food losses in the marketplace during the coronavirus pandemic and propping up agro-value chains across the continent.

What began as a health emergency is now rapidly threatening to turn into a global economic crisis. Policy actions and coordination will be crucial in mitigating the impacts of the emergency on industry.

Just like the widespread industrial shutdowns of the Great Depression, the COVID-19 economic crisis has left industrial companies reeling. Auto manufacturing plants are lying idle and demand for crude oil, copper, iron ore, and other industrial commodities is grinding to a halt. However, the biggest difference today is that we are also facing an unprecedented climate crisis.

Immediate Solutions to Increase Water Supplies and Access

Demand for avocados has exploded in the last decade, and Mexican production of “green-gold” has expanded to meet it. National production has grown 8% annually since 2009; the country produced 2.2 million tons of avocados in 2018 alone. Although the majority of Mexico’s avocados come from the state of Michoacán, the avocado boom is now pushing into other regions – a move that may threaten the country’s forests.

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States continues to rise and more and more Americans are told to stay home, the true extent of this crisis is becoming more apparent daily. Our immediate focus is on the health and safety of our families, our neighbors and the nation as a whole, as it should be. I can only imagine the suffering of people who have already lost a loved one to the virus or have a parent in a nursing facility where an outbreak has occurred. We need to do everything we can to protect the lives of all Americans.

While we will get through this immediate health crisis one way or another, its wake will be felt for years, perhaps for decades. It is not too soon to recognize and begin addressing the financial hardship caused by social distancing. As restaurants, theaters, retail stores and other establishments close their doors, either voluntarily or in response to emergency orders, small businesses and workers are bearing the immediate brunt of the economic fallout.

Building resilience in our supply chains will help prepare Canada for the next pandemic, as well as the effects of climate change.