The Green Economy - The Agenda full episode
CGTN
29:40

The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused an unprecedented global recession, but it has also offered an opportunity for a total economic reset – and a chance to make the world greener.

On The Agenda with Stephen Cole this week, we examine what a post-COVID-19, nature-forward global economy might look like, and most importantly, what it might be worth.

A recent report from the World Economic Forum suggests that a greener approach from governments and industries could be worth up to $10 trillion to global GDP, and could create almost 400 million new jobs. Akanksha Khatri, the head of WEF's Nature Action Agenda explains how.

The question then is, who out there has the power to force governments and companies to follow a greener path? Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme tells Stephen what the United Nations is doing to make sure we make the most of the current opportunities.

But not everyone is convinced that a green future can ever be compatible with economic growth. Dr Jason Hickel, economic anthropologist and visiting senior fellow at the International Inequalities Institute of the London School of Economics, is one of those doubters. He tells Stephen why the world can only be truly environmentally friendly if we end our obsession with growing GDP.