About this Research Topic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is a tragic reminder of the interactions between economic growth and the environment. Health impacts are the most obvious externalities from economic activities, both through air pollution and loss of biodiversity. The abrupt disruptions in economic activities resulting from the lockdowns imposed world-wide have had short-term positive impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and on air and water quality. However, as economies begin gradually to open, these positive gains will be completely erased. 

Going forward, there is an urgent need to address two main challenges facing the global community in the 21st century. These are related to climate change, and the imperative of a growth trajectory that strikes a balance between economic growth, social equity, and protection of the environment. The promise of a green economy aims to address the second challenge of achieving both economic and social development under environmentally sustainable conditions. In view of the growth trajectory over the past centuries, a transition towards a green economy requires, amongst other conditions, ‘greening’ current industrial and production processes. It will also require creating ‘green’ jobs. COVID-19 has demonstrated the centrality of health concerns to the global economy, making it a major frontier to be considered as future growth strategies such as the green economy are explored.

There are numerous health implications of greening economic sectors such as agriculture, housing, urban transport systems, health care facilities, and energy, especially in developing countries. In a similar fashion, climate change mitigation strategies might have direct links to the health of the people.

The proposed Research Topic aims to build upon the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic to undertake rigorous analysis of the health and environmental implications of transiting to a green economy. This Topic will bring together many disciplines and contributions, and manuscripts should reflect a multi-disciplinary approach. The Research Topic will welcome manuscripts that cover any of the following sub-topics:

1) Resilience systems analysis and health;
2) Governance of health systems;
3) Post-pandemic transition policies;
4) Investing in climate change and health;
5) Cost-of-illness analysis: concepts, scopes, and methods;
6) Healthcare financing and its redistributive effects; and
7) Economics of One-Health: environmental linkages and emerging frontiers.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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