Recovery Policy DB

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped global economic priorities at the time, with recovery packages offering unprecedented fiscal stimuli aimed at revitalising the economies from the negative impacts of, and the confinements in response to, the pandemic. While these packages may have also presented, and/or been framed as, a significant opportunity for aligning socioeconomic recovery spending with near- and longer-term climate goals, their composition—in terms of the share of spending with direct or indirect implications for energy systems and emissions trajectories—varies across countries, sectors, and technologies.

Here, we put together a comprehensive database comprising the latest available information on fiscal recovery measures by technology, country, and sector across 105 countries with such measures announced and/or implemented. The database groups announced investments into green technologies, household spending, as well as measures not fitting neatly into predefined categories/sectors yet constituting important chunks of recovery packages (e.g., on critical minerals, methane abatement, recycling, electricity access).

Our methodological approach included identifying and synthesising data from a diversity of reputable sources [1-6], which were systematically examined to ensure a broad, representative dataset of green recovery spending around the world.

https://www.energypolicytracker.org
https://www.iea.org
https://recovery.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/tracking
https://www.greenrecoverytracker.org
https://www.i2am-paris.eu/rrf_policy_intro
https://www.oecd.org

Data Exploration

The following table contains the Recovery and Resilience Plans for different countries in a tabular format. The data exploration includes ordering, searching and exporting the available data.

id	country	policy_name	announced_year	sector	policy_title	funding_billion_usd	iso_code	classified_sector

1	Albania	ALL 28 billion for energy price compensation	2022	Energy affordability	null	0.24769627	AL	Energy affordability
2	Antigua and Barbuda	Specified in the 2021 Budget Speech, the Prime Minister confirmed the government's' agreement to guarantee up to $50 million XCD, for business expansion and cash flows to enterprises affected by the pandemic	2021	General	null	0.0186	AG	Other
3	Antigua and Barbuda	Loan financing to be disbursed for the rejuvination of the citrus industry following a progressive decline since 2005, bottoming out in an exceptionally low 2020 crop.	2021	Low-carbon vehicles	null	0.00558	AG	Low carbon and efficient transport
4	Antigua and Barbuda	The capital budget for 2021 is increased 62% on the $103.3 million XCD spent on capital projects in 2020. The increase in capital spending is "part of the Government's strategy to promote economic activity while [they] await a rebound in the tourism sector" (the sector which alone accounts for 80% of GDP and 70% of employment). The total value of the budget for 2021 is $167.2 million XCD, implying a recovery strategy leading to a rise in spending of $63.9 million XCD.	2021	General	null	0.02377	AG	Other
5	Antigua and Barbuda	The Emergency Food Assistance Programme, commenced in April 2020, had by December delivered 50664 food packages. The Government Voucher Programme, partnered with a PDV contribution of $500,000 (XCD), totalled a value of 1.25m XCD. Both were funded by a waiver of sales tax (ABST) to the total value of $5m XCD.	2020	Other efficiency	null	0.00186	AG	General

Analysis

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Figure 1: Classified Sector tree map on a global scale

The figure presents a sectoral allocation of the green recovery packages from the developed recovery packages database, revealing the strategic priorities by sector and key focus areas in global recovery efforts.

Noteworthy is the dominance of the ‘Energy Affordability’ category, which represents 35% of the total funding. This highlights the pivotal role of energy affordability in driving socioeconomic development, a crucial aspect of global recovery measures. The category ‘Low carbon and Efficient Transport’ is following closely with a significant share (23% of total funding), aligning with the collective goals and initiatives to address climate change and promote environmentally friendly transportation solutions. Investments of this class are instrumental in reducing the carbon footprint of transportation systems.

Furthermore, the ‘Energy efficient buildings & industry’ category constitutes 16% of the total funding, emphasising the importance of stationary energy demand sectors (and most importantly buildings) in achieving global climate goals. Investments in ‘Low carbon electricity’ (10% of total funding) include flows towards (especially solar and wind power) projects that contribute significantly to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and associated CO2 emissions. The remaining categories account for less than 10% each, reflecting a diversified approach to sectoral funding. This distribution of funds signifies a concerted effort towards comprehensive, inclusive, and environmentally conscious recovery strategies.

Figure 2: Budget Allocation by country

The budget allocations for recovery measures in different countries provide valuable insights into their respective needs, strategies, expansion plans, and goals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure shows that the highest funding in green recovery packages was adopted by the United States (about 20% of the global recovery efforts), followed by Germany (about 14% of global recovery efforts), while Italy and France had a share of about 7% and 6% respectively.

Funding percentage for each Country 2.4T in total

United States

21.9%

Germany

13.7%

Italy

7.1%

France

6.1%

Spain

3.4%

United Kingdom

3.0%

Greece

0.6%

Figure 3: Share of Recovery Package Funding by classified sector - country-wise distribution

The figure illustrates the Share of Recovery Package Funding by classified sector across countries. This graph underscores a discernible trend in fund allocation across nations. For example, the category ‘Energy affordability’ has become a key concern especially in developing nations (Albania, Bulgaria, Tanzania, etc.), where ensuring that energy remains accessible and affordable for all is a critical aspect for societal equity and economic stability.

On the other hand, developed countries such as Germany have also taken measures for energy affordability (package of about €246 billion) to constrain the impacts of the rising energy prices ( Arne Delfs, Kamil Kowalcze, and Vanessa Dezem, 2022).

Grouped

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