The ‘old normal’ wasn’t good enough. It’s time for a green economy

As the lockdown is beginning to be eased, thoughts are inevitably turning to how the economy can recover. But there can be no doubt that our country risks jumping out of the coronavirus frying pan and into the climate fire if the climate crisis is not prioritised.

Some people are already urging a swift return to normal – but the “old normal” was nowhere near good enough. Our lack of resilience made us more vulnerable to Covid-19, as well as any shocks to come. The threat posed by the climate and nature crises are greater than anything we have witnessed in these past grim months and we are already feeling the effects, from the heatwaves and wildfires across the globe to the cyclone that devastated parts of India and Bangladesh just this week.

The good news is that decarbonising our economy and restoring nature offers us the opportunity to build a fairer society after the pandemic – with dynamic businesses, new fulfilling jobs, healthier lives and a thriving natural environment.

However, according to an interim report published yesterday by the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, we require a new approach if we are to act with the ambition and at the scale that the climate and nature emergency demands.

Going faster means setting more ambitious near-term targets on emissions reductions at home and abroad. As the host of the next international climate summit, COP26, the UK has a great responsibility to drive an acceleration of climate and nature action around the world. With a new date for this conference likely to be confirmed this week, there is no time to lose.

Greater ambition must be met with a step-change in investment. This investment can be a win-win: a green recovery will build a more resilient economy. Benefits like good-quality jobs, comfortable homes, cleaner air and abundant nature are an investment, not a cost.

We must also get to grips with our consumption-driven, resource-intensive economy. As a first step, the IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission recommends that the government set a target for consumption emissions – the carbon burnt abroad to make and supply everything the UK imports. The government should learn from New Zealand’s example and undertake an audit of all activities, policies, rules and decision-making to ensure they conform with the UK’s net zero carbon target.

We also need to urgently move beyond bottom line metrics of success such as GDP, which fail to capture what really matters to people and take no account of negative impacts on resources or the natural environment. Instead, we must make the transition to an economy that prioritises wellbeing, quality of life and the condition of our natural environment.

Perhaps most important of all is the recognition that there is an inextricable link between addressing the climate crisis and tackling economic and social injustice. Not only are the poorest communities least responsible for environmental damage, they are also invariably the worst affected and face the greatest risks through a badly managed transition.

Instead, decarbonisation and the restoration of nature must be guided and shaped by a broader social and economic justice agenda, otherwise it simply won’t succeed. The commission’s report argues for funding of a £5bn Just Transition fund to support those communities most affected – as well as a new approach to policymaking that puts people at its heart.

The government’s prime responsibility is to keep the public safe from the major shocks and threats to our society, something which the Covid-19 crisis has brought into sharp focus. And this pandemic has also shown what governments can do when the scale of a crisis is recognised.

In rising to the challenge that the climate and nature crisis presents, we have a responsibility to articulate a powerful, positive and inclusive model for our future societies. We can and must improve lives: offering opportunities for all in a thriving economy is one way to do that. Crucially, no one should be left behind.

Caroline Lucas MP and Laura Sandys are co-chairs of IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission