The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a human tragedy, infecting more than 120,000 and killing more than 4,200 people as of March 12, 2020. The loss of human life is heart-breaking and set to continue ticking upwards.

The virus has also hit society like a global tsunami, disrupting travel, cutting off communities, shuttering factories and shaking up economic markets. The global manufacturing sector has suffered its worst contraction since the 2009 recession. Goldman Sachs forecasts zero earnings growth for U.S. companies, while airlines and cruise lines are reeling as people opt to stay home.

Unsurprisingly this major global disruption is leading to lower energy demand, which in turn reduces global greenhouse gas emissions. China’s industrial output has dropped 15% to 40% since the crisis began, leading to a roughly 25% drop in emissions over that same period.

Emissions reductions caused by economic downturns tend to be temporary — and can lead to emissions growth as economies attempt to get back on track. After the global financial crisis of 2008, for example, global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production grew 5.9% in 2010, more than offsetting the 1.4% decrease in 2009.

With the pandemic potentially triggering a global economic slowdown, leaders are already looking for ways to shore up their countries’ economies. The approaches they take to stimulate economic growth will have long-lasting effects, so they need to be chosen carefully.

What governments should avoid is trying to boost their economies in the wake of one global health crisis by exacerbating another — namely air pollution. A stimulus package that includes ramping up fossil fuel production or use would do exactly this.

The Economic Case for Low-carbon Development. The good news is that a mounting body of evidence demonstrates that pursuing low-carbon and climate-resilient growth is the best way to unlock lasting economic and social benefits. Bold climate action could deliver at least $26 trillion in net global economic benefits between now and 2030 compared with business-as-usual according to the New Climate Economy. This includes creating more than 65 million new low-carbon jobs in 2030, equivalent to the combined workforces of the U.K. and Egypt today.

Climate Action Is Key to Economic Recovery and Long-term Prosperity

The global COVID-19 outbreak shows without a shadow of a doubt that governments have the ability to take urgent and radical action to contain crises. This will not be easy, and requires all of us to play our part. However, as we emerge from this immediate crisis, we need to be clear that responding to the short-term economic downturn with bad long-term investments would not make sense. Instead, we have an opportunity to use stimulus measures to boost growth following the COVID-19 health crisis to both curb air pollution and help address the climate crisis.

The growing urgency of the climate crisis shows the dire need for immediate measures to drastically cut emissions now. And the opportunities to do so, given new developments with clean technologies and their falling costs, have never been better. While the restrictions on travel and large meetings are challenging, in turn they may also help us shift our own behavior to work, education and travel patterns that are much more sustainable, including recognizing the opportunities and broader benefits of teleworking and virtual meetings. We are being forced to reset our habits now, but we should use this as a learning moment as we come out of the crisis. Read the whole article from the source above