COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 23 June

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

2. Greta Thunberg: Coronavirus shows we can tackle climate change

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg believes the world's response to the COVID-19 pandemic proves we can take urgent action on climate change.

In an interview with the BBC, she said: "It shows that in a crisis, you act, and you act with necessary force."

The teenager, who has been continuing her studies in lockdown, also said she was pleased to see politicians in the crisis have been listening to scientists and experts and prioritizing human lives.

"Suddenly people in power are saying they will do whatever it takes since you cannot put a price on human life."

3. 4 ways the post-pandemic world might help the circular economy

The global pandemic has forced us to innovate and reassess how we produce, distribute, purchase and consume, writes Mayuri Wijayasundara, a Lecturer at Deakin University.

"Those trends, influenced by our new limitations, seem to favour a circular economy – the only economic philosophy that can sustainably cater to people’s needs in the long run."

Here's how the circular economy might benefit from the COVID-19 recovery.

1. Pay for service: Product service systems designed to avoid contact, offer excellent flexibility for consumers to “lighten the load” in the new world of uncertainty.

2. Self-containment and local consumption: Restricted activity across borders means greater reliance on local supply chains to allow local circulation of nutrient flows.

3. Shorter supply chains: The repair economy and local micro-industries may be valued for providing a reliable supply of products within reach, compared to a long supply chain delivering cheaper goods.

4. Capping consumption, based on capacity limitations and priority: COVID-19 is likely to prepare governments to have a hierarchy of activities it deems crucial for survival and continuity.