Environmental Analysis and the Dual Grand Challenge of COVID-19 and Sustainable Development

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve people’s lives and the natural world by 2030 (United Nations, 2015). The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in 2020, right at the beginning of the “decade of actions” aiming to cover implementation gaps on delivering SDGs. The pandemic affected the core focus of the SDGs by triggering an economic crisis of large proportions and restricting mobility and migration (Shulla et al., 2021). COVID-19 and the ensuing implications have demonstrated the fragility of SDGs and their interconnections. As the world recovers from this pandemic, the importance of environmental health and resilience as a critical complement to public health is underscored. Rebuilding requires countries to succeed in transitioning to green economies and protection against future disruption from global stressors.