Global under-employment generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is a historic opportunity for governments to accelerate the green transition and stimulate the economy through green stimulus programmes. Green labour opportunities are currently available and successful implementation in some countries can be expanded at a time when the market is experiencing flux.
This note focuses on three examples of investments in natural capital in:
- Rural settings: investments in the restoration and/or enhancement of ecosystems (e.g. afforestation in degraded land).
- Urban and peri-urban settings: public investments in urban green spaces, like parks and green corridors.
- Corporate support (or ‘bailouts’) with nature-friendly strings attached: public support conditional on achieving either net neutral or net positive practices with regard to habitats and biodiversity.
These opportunities can be deployed quickly across many countries. Interventions in environmentally relevant sectors can protect and restore nature, provide income immediately to unemployed workers, deliver under social distancing guidelines, and stimulate economic growth in emerging sectors.