COVID-19 response
“We need to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a tremendous shock to the global energy system, and threatens our collective efforts towards achieving SDG 7. Yet, despite the current challenges and uncertainty, governments must maintain the global momentum towards the clean energy transformation we need, including by building on existing Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Climate change remains the biggest threat to humanity over the long term, and slowing down progress on the clean energy transition now would severely jeopardise our fight against climate change.
In addition, energy is strongly interlinked with progress on other Sustainable Development Goals. Many of those goals will also be in jeopardy without increased access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services – especially the ones related to poverty eradication, gender equality, food security, health, education, clean water and sanitation, jobs, innovation, and transport.
Energy and COVID-19: Featured resources
‘Stronger response’ key, to build a safer and more stable future: Guterres
UN chief António Guterres is calling for greater unity and solidarity to defeat COVID-19 and build a better world in the wake of the global pandemic.
The Impact of Covid-19 on Africa’s energy sector and the role of RE to empower a long term and sustainable recovery
For several weeks now, Africa has been fighting against an invisible enemy: COVID-19. Although the spread in the continent is much lower than in other parts of the world today, it is not less worrying considering the limited capabilities and resources of African countries to mitigate the potentially devastating effects of the virus, from a public health, social and economic context.
Throughout COVID-19 recovery, ‘plummeting’ clean energy costs can help climate action
The new report, Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2020, is a collaboration between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, and energy financing company, BloombergNEF.
COVID-19 intensifies the urgency to expand sustainable energy solutions worldwide
To meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by 2030, countries must safeguard the gains already attained and accelerate efforts to achieve affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Post-pandemic ‘green shift’ in transport could create up to 15 million jobs
Transforming the transport sector to be more environmentally-friendly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, could create up to 15 million new jobs worldwide and help countries move to greener, healthier economies, according to a UN-backed report published on Tuesday.
How clean energy can power a COVID-19 recovery
As the coronavirus COVID-19 gains ground in the world’s poorest regions, it will hit the most vulnerable the hardest by adding an unprecedented health and economic crisis to existing poverty and climate crises.
Transforming the energy system—a post-COVID-19 win-win for people and planet
As large parts of the world hunker down and social distance to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, more and more research is being released and studied.