COVID-19 and Pathways to Sustainable Development

The pathway to sustainable development is governed by six major transformations: the digital revolution; human capacity and demography; consumption and production; decarbonization and energy; food, biosphere and water; and smart cities. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the trajectories of each of these transformations around the world in both positive and negative ways. Countries which have successfully navigated the crisis have generally implemented policies which will accelerate these transformations in the direction of sustainability, while countries which have failed to rise to the challenge have reinforced patterns which will make sustainable development harder to achieve in the future. Following what the most successful countries have accomplished, policymakers elsewhere have at their disposal a clear set of tools for saving the lives of their citizens, preserving the health of their economy, and building the groundwork for a sustainable future