Instead of achieving a green recovery, trillions of dollars in pandemic stimulus packages are actually harming nature and climate, with over a quarter of the funds going to carbon-intensive sectors including fossil fuels and heavy industry, new research by Vivid Economics and Finance for Biodiversity Initiative finds.

Few countries in the ASEAN region have tied green components to their stimulus packages, which contain some environmentally harmful measures. Green recovery policies and strategies can help put a country on the path to economic recovery while bringing environmental and sustainability benefits.

More homeowners in Kosovo will be able to invest in domestic energy efficiency improvements as a consequence of a new €5 million credit line the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending to Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo. The financing is part of a larger €135 million Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) programme for the Western Balkans, which supports energy-efficient solutions to build a greener and sustainable economy. To date, more than 8,000 households in the Western Balkans have improved their energy efficiency through the GEFF programme, with investments in projects that contributed to a reduction of nearly than 12,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to removing 7,270 cars from the street.

The Global Green Growth Institute(GGGI) will be hosting a GGGWeek 2021 on 25-27 October. GGGWeek2021 will feature the special theme of “Green Recovery, Green Jobs, and NetZero2050”.

Any interested parties, who would like to present their ideas, showcase progress, and share commitment on the above topics, can submit your propositions by July 31st, 2021.

COVID-19 has created a critical juncture in the evolution of cities, but there has been limited focus on its urban dimensions in the global South.Therefore, IIED has created a framework that provides a unifying urban vision to inform and resource a transformative urban recovery process.

In spite of the global rollout of vaccines, many countries still have a long path to travel for economic recovery. At the same time, the economic toll is occurring at a time when biodiversity is globally imperiled. Can countries afford to bring even larger areas under protection and focus on biodiversity conservation when the need for economic recovery is so pressing, fiscal spaces tight, and many development challenges persist?

Assessing the economic impact of protected area tourism in five protected areas in Brazil, Fiji, Nepal, and Zambia, the World Bank recently launched a report that outlines how inclusive protected-area tourism can contribute a country’s recovery from the economic fallout of the pandemic, address longstanding development challenges, and conserve biodiversity.

African Union Launches a Continental Green Recovery Action Plan

While the exact source of COVID-19 remains unclear, zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 — diseases that originated in animals — are a stark reminder of how people and nature are interconnected. Other serious outbreaks, such as SARS, avian flu, and MERS, were all zoonotic in origin. Animals aren’t to blame for these outbreaks. It’s human activities that encroach unsustainably into wild places and risky interactions with wildlife that create increased risk.

The United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) kicks off today. It is the core UN platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This year's Forum is focusing on a sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic. Explore how UNEP will be involved in the HLPF.