The economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine are likely to reshape the science-policy interface with significant implications for net-zero goals, green growth, and sustainable development. The recent experience from the government-supported acceleration for the development and deployment of vaccines and the renewed priority given to energy security have provided an impetus to mission-oriented innovation approaches to address environmental challenges. In addition, the pandemic has severely affected some vital actors of innovation ecosystems, such as start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are also more exposed to the consequences of high energy prices.
The 2021 Green Growth and Sustainable (GGSD) Forum focused on COVID-19 recovery measures and their role in greening the built environment and the transport sector. It discussed how different countries are making use of recovery measures to also address the global goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century and other environmental objectives. The Forum also addressed how to better design cities as well as mobility of people and goods for a greener and more resilient future.
