Blogs

The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report represents a “code red for humanity” – and for climate-vulnerable Indonesia. Having already pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2060, how can a country of 17,000 islands now implement change on the scale required? The answer – as Indonesia is learning – starts in the classroom.

The start of a New Year is often a time for reflection and recalibration. This winter, as we leave behind perhaps the most difficult year in recent human history, this reflection takes on an even greater meaning.

In the words of Secretary-General Guterres, we are standing at a “make-or-break” moment for humanity, and the health of our planet. New COVID-19 variants continue to emerge, and despite global emissions falling by a record 7% last year, the planet is now at hotter than at any other point in human civilization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and caused an exceptional economic downturn. In an interview, Mr. Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), discusses how targeted green industrial policies and investments in green industries can lead to the structural changes necessary to recover from COVID-19, with opportunities to boost sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Over the next 6-18 months, it is estimated that countries will invest over $20 trillion to recover from the fallout of COVID-19. The make-up of these financial decisions will define the shape of our societies and economies for decades to come, including our ability to respond to greater environmental challenges lying ahead. In an interview, Mr. Nikhil Seth, the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), discusses how education and learning can underpin a green economic recovery from COVID-19—as one that cuts CO2 emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and promotes sustainable economic activities to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.