Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

CarbonBrief have developed an interactive grid where you can explore and track the progress of how different countries across the world are implementing green recovery and renewal plans which aim to cut emissions in the aftermath of COVID-19. Below, we offer some examples of diverse initiatives from across the world:

• France allocated funding to “promote and support environmental performance” in their food and agricultural sector, e.g. funding to support farmers to adapt their farming systems to lower their impact on the environment. France have also allocated funding to create over 1,000 “eco-responsible restaurants in rural communities”, along with investment in “energy efficiency of public and private buildings, social housing, insulation and low-carbon heating”
• Sweden allocated investment to raise the “energy performance of Sweden’s housing stock and to support improvements in rental properties”
• Finland plan to “phase out oil heating in both households and public buildings” and allocated funding to the “wood constriction programme which promotes the use of timber by enhancing industry expertise, developing legislation and building regulations, and providing factual information”
• Chile have committed to plant trees on 24,000 hectares of land and invest in better fire management as part of its “mitigation and adaptation commitments related to forests and biodiversity”. Chile will also have invested in modernisation and irrigation projects for farmers, as part of the COVID-19 budget response

The European Union recently set out Europe's priorities for recovery, which aim to create a "greener, more digital and more resilient Europe". The latest budget will focus on:

• "Research and innovation, via Horizon Europe;
• Fair climate and digital transitions, via the Just Transition Fund and the Digital Europe Programme;
• Preparedness, recovery and resilience, via the Recovery and Resilience Facility, rescEu, and a new health programme, EU4Health;
• Modernising traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy, to maximise their contribution to the Union's priorities;
• Fight climate change, with 30% of the EU funds;
• Biodiversity protection and gender equality"

France recently set out the key measures within their recovery plan, complementing the priorities set out by the European Union. France is investing largely in:

• Accelerating the greening of the economy, with investments in "energy performance renovations for buildings, in "green infrastructure" and mobility, to reduce the carbon-intensity of manufacturing processes, and in the development of new green technologies" (hydrogen, biofuels, recycling)
• Economic resilience through "reductions in production taxes, the provision of support for equity capital funding for business, investment in industrial innovation and support for exports"
• A focus on financial support and digital transformation of voluntary sector enterprises and small-medium enterprises

COVID-19 has strained food producers and distributors (e.g. disrupted food supply chains, problematized crop harvesting, impacted logistics and distribution), and this has impacted the amount of food waste created in the supply chain. COVID-19 has also changed household food waste creation by affecting household income, shopping habits and consumption patterns. The implications are broad. For example, the real cost of food has increased for some vulnerable households, who must purchase from supermarkets that will deliver rather than shop at their usual 'cheaper' shops. Food waste has become an important concern for organisations and households, and some countries are taking strong action. Consider:

• Charge businesses and families that waste food (such as in South Korea, where the proportion of recycling food increased from 2% to 95% in 2009)
• Strengthen partnerships between food producers and distributors and local food initiatives
• Develop local agriculture and growing food in and around cities, e.g. Singapore identified unused spaces in its cities to create urban farms to address supply chain issues cause by COVID-19
• Partner with local volunteer initiatives that tackle food poverty and food waste:
  • Ensure voluntary food distribution groups have the necessary equipment to store nutritious food and distribute that to the community
  • Set up community fridges, e.g. local parishes or town halls to support local groups
  • To ensure food that is not fit for consumption is recycled appropriately
  • Support groups in the collection, transportation and redistribution of food
• Educate households on:
  • How to store food safely after purchasing
  • Safe ways to store and re-use leftovers
  • How to correctly recycle food waste
  • Recipes on for using leftover ingredients
  • How to safely donate excess food
  • How to interpret food labels correctly

As the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine gains pace, there has been reporting of a rise in criminal activity targeting people who await information about their vaccine. Examples of how fraudsters are exploiting the vaccine launch includes: scam text messages that request personal information such as bank details; fraudsters turning up at peoples' houses posing as National Health Service employees and offering vaccination for immediate payment. Fraud undermines public confidence in official programmes and contribute to a negative narrative around the vaccine programme. Consider public messaging to:

• Use a range of communication channels to build public awareness of fraudsters' tactics to encourage vigilance regarding vaccination communications
• Ensure communications about fraud awareness are available in different languages and different media e.g. to support migrants or support people with disabilities such as via informational videos: https://signhealth.org.uk/resources/coronavirus/
• Publish a list official government and health websites/social media channels that are authorised to provide official information on the vaccine
• Include in fraud communications information on the ways in which people will be invited for an official vaccine, and ways that they will not be invited
• Identify partnering organisations that can distribute messages about vaccine fraud e.g. organisations that run befriending schemes, check-in and chat services, vaccination partners
• Disseminate consistent information to these partnering organisations to advise them of how to provide information about fraud without concerning people about the safety of the vaccine itself

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, people around the world have been utilising black markets to purchase negative COVID-19 test results to enable them to travel. False negative COVID test certificates have been sold for around $300 USD. Systems which email test results can be easily bypassed by downloading and doctoring documents e.g. changing the date of the test, name and test result. Consider how to manage and mitigate proliferation of false negative test results:

• In Hawaii, only results from approved testing partners will be accepted, and they must be transmitted digitally, rather than using emails
• Utilising apps that centralize health and lab data and test/vaccination results e.g. CommonPass, trialled by United Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways

Legionella is a type of bacteria that can become a health concern when found in man-made water systems. While buildings remain closed due to the pandemic, it is important that water systems are well maintained to prevent future health issues like Legionella. If breathed in through droplets in the air, the bacteria can cause Legionnaires' disease, a respiratory illness with some similar symptoms to COVID-19 e.g. a fever, cough, shortness of breath. The European Working Group for Legionella Infections (ESGLI) has put together a guidance document on how to best manage Legionella in building water systems during this COVID-19 outbreak. Consider ESGLI guidance to manage the safety of buildings' water systems:

https://www.rsph.org.uk/membership/webinars/how-to-ensure-your-building-water-system-is-safe-during-and-post-covid-19.html

As countries begin to open their border to international travel, there is much to consider, not least the information provided to travellers before they leave your country, as they travel, and as they enter your country.

Information provided to travellers before they leave their country is key, so travellers can prepare themselves to travel to an overseas destination with the right supplies and knowing the expected behaviours. This is especially important during COVID-19 where countries have differing regulations regarding social distancing, travel within the country, and fines. Consider providing a government-issued ‘safer travel information sheet’[1] and advising travellers to download it before they leave the country. The information sheet could cover:

• Travel advisory for the country they are to visit
• Behaviours and supplies needed for COVID safe travel and at the destination e.g. face masks
• How to travel safely on all legs of the trip (from home to final destination) e.g. not arriving too early at departure points, ticketing, parking
• Expectations for safe travel practices such as social distancing, required face coverings and when/how to wear masks
• Tips for travelling using all types of transport e.g. cars, aircraft, ferries
• Exemptions for people e.g. who does not need to wear a face covering
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

The travel industry has a central role in advising travellers of travel-related and destination-specific COVID-19 information. The travel industry can provide advice to:[2], [3]

• Prepare travellers for practical departure and arrival procedures e.g. temperature sensors, health declaration forms
• Practice COVID-19 behaviours whilst travelling e.g. mask wearing, personal interactions, expectations on children and infirm
• Provide up to date information to travellers on the COVID-19 situation in the arrival country and how to access current information during their stay
• Identify what travellers should do if they suspect they have symptoms during their stay and before they travel home
• Inform travellers of mandatory acts on arrival, such as registering or downloading a mandated track and trace phone app
• Educate travellers on the local expectation for behaving safely in the country and local means of enforcement
• Detail what travellers should do on arrival e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, in the case of a local lockdown
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information
• Penalties for non-compliance with local requirements for COVID-19

When travellers land in a different country, or even return to their home country, they may not have updated information or knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, or the local expectations or regulations put in place to encourage safe behaviours. Instead travellers may have COVID-19 practices that do not align with the expectations of the country they are in, so need information to make adjustments so they can live by the county’s current protocols and legislation.[4] So that travellers arriving into your country are able to act according to local advice, consider how to update travellers on practices they should follow, covering[5], [6], [7]:

• Major local developments on the virus
• The impact of those developments on new behaviours, expectations, curfews, etc.
• Information on the sorts of services that are available, including holiday-related and travel
• Information on regulations, behaviours, practices and expectations e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, track and trace procedures
• Information on residence permits and visas
• Information on onward travel, transiting through the country and returning home
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

Appropriate channels should be considered to share this information with travellers e.g. travel providers, travel infrastructure providers, hotels.

References:

[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#safer-travel-information-sheet

[2] https://www.airfrance.co.uk/GB/en/common/page_flottante/information/faq-coronavirus.htm

[3] https://travelupdates.abudhabiairport.ae/home

[5] https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

[6] https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tourism-in-the-netherlands

[7] https://www.krisinformation.se/en/hazards-and-risks/disasters-and-incidents/2020/official-information-on-the-new-coronavirus/visiting-sweden-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

Closure of markets has meant many in the agricultural industries have required support in distributing their products. In Lyon, local government took the following actions:

• Identified producers in difficulty and their needs via the Chamber of Agriculture
• Coordinated digital platforms' connections with producers and consumers
• Mapped additional warehousing facilities to support storage of produce and preparation for market
• Provided specific open-air collection points to collect orders
• Researched other rapid distribution channels e.g. through the Red Cross
• Created additional sales outlets when markets were not viable

In France, The National Bar Council created a voluntary telephone service to help and assist individuals and companies with legal issues related to the impacts of COVID-19. Legal advice covered family law such as parental access to see a child under lockdown, and labour law including defaulting on business loans, and access to government assistance.

This may include:

• Reimagining how cities are built and organised e.g. Brussels is creating 40km of new cycle paths; France is providing cyclists with subsidies; UK has announced a œ2bn infrastructure scheme to encourage more walking and cycling
• Accelerating environmentally friendly projects such as increased investment in electric vehicle infrastructure

Also consider the unintended consequences of green infrastructure solutions. In the case of battery production for electric vehicles, consideration should be given to the environmental degradation caused by mining for battery components for electric vehicles, the ethical considerations of using mines in developing countries, the lifecycle of batteries and how they will be recycled in large quantities.

This should seek to maintain operations whilst minimising virus transmission. For example, operations in Paris:

• Wash and disinfect collection trucks every day
• Prioritise the collection of unauthorized garbage and street cleaning (using street washers and vacuum cleaners on pathways)
• Collect waste from streets e.g. each day ~1,000 municipal workers, ~250 garbage collection trucks, and ~100 road sweeping machines collect waste from the streets
• Clean ~140 public toilets in order to keep them open - thereby provide considerable health and dignity benefits to the most vulnerable. These facilities also have drinking water fountains
• Plan to manage the surge in the volume of waste when restaurants reopen (in Paris, the volume of daily waste has fallen by a third during closedown)