Recession and Climate Change

It is well known that recessions have economic and social impacts, while little attention is paid to their impact on the environment and ongoing climate action.  However, past recessions have shown that a slowdown in economic activity and a shift in government priorities can have positive and negative impacts on climate change and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.  Each time a recession occurs, governments can either build a greener economy in the recovery process or revert to old, unsustainable business-as-usual practices.  Experience with recessions also shows that the reduced use of fossil fuels due to the slowdown in capital-intensive industrial activities leads to short-term benefits, such as reduced air and water pollution due to decreased energy consumption.