Green or brown: Global environment in the post-COVIDian era, and challenges for India

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for policy makers around the world to revisit their obsession with economic growth and prioritise social welfare. Climate change will soon throw up similar challenges. Policy makers need to be prepared to start addressing the twin challenges of public and ecological health in an integrated matter. After drawing parallels between the current Covid-19 crisis and the ongoing climate change crisis, we discuss their interrelationship. We then assess the impact of Covid-19 on the environment, with a focus on India. The series of lockdowns that ensued as a response to the Covid-19 crisis affected business adversely, and we discuss how firms could react to the “new normal” that has emerged, in the context of the ecological environment. The impact of economic stimulus packages on the ecological health of the planet, and more specifically on the progress towards meeting commitments made by nations towards climate change is examined next. We conclude with a few pointers on policy directions that could promote green economic growth for a sustainable future with lower risks of pandemics.