Too often, lawmakers trap themselves in a false binary of fighting climate change or supporting economic growth. 

 


But as A Green Recovery: The Case for Climate-Forward Stimulus Policies in America’s COVID-19 Recession Response explains, economic policies and climate policies are inextricably linked. All stimulus funds, even those not explicitly related to climate or emissions (known as “climate-blind”), have the potential to impact the climate, just as climate policies have the potential to undermine or amplify the efficacy of government stimulus. 

A “green” stimulus that invests in renewable energy and other affirmative decarbonization efforts would provide:

  • Immediate relief, immediate payoff
  • Growth that lasts
  • A better recovery