In response to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans are being developed to get economies out of the slump. Some are arguing that such plans should be environmentally sustainable. One example of an economic recovery plan that also seeks for a cleaner future is The Sustainable Recovery Plan. The plan was presented on June 18th by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The plan focuses on a series of policies that can be taken in the next 3 years to boost employment and create a source of cleaner energy. A joint IEA-International Monetary Fund analysis states that the recovery plan would create 9 million jobs, and push the global GDP 3.5% higher by 2023 than it would have grown otherwise.
Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director summarises the recovery plan in a statement: "Governments have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reboot their economies and bring a wave of new employment opportunities while accelerating the shift to a more resilient and cleaner energy future".
The Growth of E-Commerce - Part of a Sustainable Future?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen an e-commerce boom. As retail spaces closed down, consumers moved their purchasing habits online. As e-commerce seems to be a part of consumer behaviour in the future, we must assess its impact on the environment.
Businesswire’s report The Environmental Impact of E-Commerce 2020 reveals that determining the environmental impact of e-commerce is difficult. A range of considerations should be made when discussing the sustainability of e-commerce: such as local transportation practices, the type of delivery vehicles used by merchants, the materials of packaging, among other reasons. However, one thing is clear - consumers may not always behave in environmentally-friendly ways when purchasing online. A January 2019 survey revealed that over one third of online shoppers returned a purchased item in the previous three months. The returns not only double the amount of shipping involved but may also result in the item being wasted as it is not always resold by the merchant.
The environmental impact of e-commerce is thus two-fold: both the merchant as well as the consumer must make environmental considerations when it comes to e-commerce.
Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plans
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans are being developed to get economies out of the slump. Some are arguing that such plans should be environmentally sustainable. One example of an economic recovery plan that also seeks for a cleaner future is The Sustainable Recovery Plan. The plan was presented on June 18th by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The plan focuses on a series of policies that can be taken in the next 3 years to boost employment and create a source of cleaner energy. A joint IEA-International Monetary Fund analysis states that the recovery plan would create 9 million jobs, and push the global GDP 3.5% higher by 2023 than it would have grown otherwise.
Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director summarises the recovery plan in a statement: "Governments have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reboot their economies and bring a wave of new employment opportunities while accelerating the shift to a more resilient and cleaner energy future".
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The Growth of E-Commerce - Part of a Sustainable Future?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen an e-commerce boom. As retail spaces closed down, consumers moved their purchasing habits online. As e-commerce seems to be a part of consumer behaviour in the future, we must assess its impact on the environment.
Businesswire’s report The Environmental Impact of E-Commerce 2020 reveals that determining the environmental impact of e-commerce is difficult. A range of considerations should be made when discussing the sustainability of e-commerce: such as local transportation practices, the type of delivery vehicles used by merchants, the materials of packaging, among other reasons. However, one thing is clear - consumers may not always behave in environmentally-friendly ways when purchasing online. A January 2019 survey revealed that over one third of online shoppers returned a purchased item in the previous three months. The returns not only double the amount of shipping involved but may also result in the item being wasted as it is not always resold by the merchant.
The environmental impact of e-commerce is thus two-fold: both the merchant as well as the consumer must make environmental considerations when it comes to e-commerce.
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