Covid-19 has sparked the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, and with much of the world now experiencing a second wave and with lockdowns returning, the crisis is far from over. The major stimulus and recovery packages being implemented in response by governments around the world present a pivotal moment for tackling climate change. The colossal investment in these packages could either redirect the global economy on a pathway to limiting warming below 2 degrees through a green recovery, or it could lock us into a fossil-fuel based system for years to come making it almost impossible to meet 2 degrees, beyond which the consequences of climate change become much more severe.
Given what is at stake, how can countries realise a green recovery? What policies should be prioritised as most effective in addressing climate change, whilst also facilitating economic recovery? And given the stimulus programmes which have already been implemented, are we on track for a green recovery at all? Finally, what will be the implications of the Covid-19 recovery packages on global climate policy and COP26?
To provide insight into these questions we are delighted to be joined by one of the world’s leaders in energy and climate policy Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Dr Fatih Birol is the Executive Director and head of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA is the world’s highest authority on energy – advising governments and industry on energy policy and solutions for climate change mitigation, energy security and energy affordability. Dr Birol has served as Executive Director of the IEA since 2015 and previously served as the Chief Economist and Director of Global Energy Economics at the IEA in Paris. He is responsible for the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook publication, which is recognised as the most authoritative source for strategic analysis of global energy markets. He is founder and chair of the IEA Energy Business Council which provides a forum for cooperation between the energy industry and policymakers. He has also been named by Forbes Magazine among the most influential people on the world’s energy scene. He chairs the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy Advisory Board and serves on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on ‘Sustainable Energy for All’. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Japanese Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun, the Order of the Polar Star from the King of Sweden and the highest Presidential decorations from Austria, Germany and Italy.