“Top business leaders call on Boris Johnson to set out green recovery plan”, 1 June 2020

Almost 200 chief executives – from companies including HSBC, National Grid, and Heathrow airport – signed a letter to the prime minister calling on the government to “deliver a clean, just recovery” [in the wake of COVID-19]…, call[ing]…for a recovery that “creates quality employment” and helps to build “a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient UK economy for the future”. It was also signed by the heads of Aviva, Lloyds Banking Group and BP’s UK business.

“The current crisis, in moving us all away from business as usual, has already created shifts in how we operate, and we believe we must use the recovery to accelerate the transition to net zero,”. The letter...set out three key measures: ...targeted public investment and clear policy signals to support growing private sector investment in low-carbon technologies; prioritis[ing] sectors...that can stimulate jobs, spur the economy and help lower…emissions; [setting] out stimulus packages [which]...ensure that the businesses which receive government support align their business strategies with the government’s own climate goals.

[T]he International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that the economic fallout of the coronavirus could pose a threat to climate action unless governments use green investments to help support economic growth through the global slowdown.