Polluter bailouts and lobbying during Covid-19 pandemic

From tar sands oil to aviation, global business sectors have called for suspension of environmental protections

• 'Coronavirus profiteers' condemned as polluters gain bailout billions

Polluting industries around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic to gain billions of dollars in bailouts and to weaken and delay environmental protections.

The moves have been described as dangerous and irresponsible by senior figures. They say the unprecedented sums of money being committed to the global recovery are a historic opportunity to tackle the climate crisis, but such action has not been taken to date.