Renewable energies, energy efficiency and climate change

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It is possible for COVID to facilitate transformative changes in certain areas. The reduction in economic activity has led to a reduction in the use of fossil fuels and GHG emissions. However, these short-term effects will inevitably return to similar levels with the recovery.

Given that the current production model is not sustainable, this crisis should be used to redesign productive activity. This redesign should be based on a reduction in the use of water, fossil fuels, and an increase in sustainable electricity generation, more efficient production systems that limit the increasing use of transportation and ensures the transformation of services, with more intensive use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The use of ICTs can allow enhancing more responsible consumption and production systems. This will make some of the usual work trips less necessary and help to achieve more sustainable cities. In this way, the pandemic would be used as a turning point in the necessary productive transformation, generating new opportunities.

Post COVID-19 management of regional integration and the overall implementation of the sustainable development agenda will require intense collaboration between countries, universities and civil society stakeholders to enhance the gains from trade and regional integration. Currently, most economies are in a recession. The knowledge and resources to reverse the current state of the economy are not far-fetched and require that priority be given to mainstream sustainable development and climate action.