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The Post-Virus Economic Recovery Could Be a Green One

Investing in solar farms, electric vehicle infrastructure, and high speed internet would create a new way forward.

Contractors work during construction on the San Joaquin River viaduct section of a high-speed rail project in Madera, California on Feb. 13, 2020. 

Contractors work during construction on the San Joaquin River viaduct section of a high-speed rail project in Madera, California on Feb. 13, 2020. 

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

The novel coronavirus has caused unprecedented social disruption and wreaked havoc in the markets. With the world coming apart at the seams, Helen Mountford, vice president for climate and economics at the World Resources Institute, thinks investment in clean technology and infrastructure could help put it back together again.

“We have a great opportunity now to transition more quickly,” says Mountford, a former official at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and an expert in how economic measures can be used to reduce climate risks. “This is a moment when we can implement measures to help boost the economy, create jobs, and build climate resilience.”