Friends of the Earth Melbourne has called on the Andrews government to make climate action a focus of the recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic after experts have criticised the Morrison government for pushing for a fossil-fuel-led stimulus.

Community-driven environment group Friends of the Earth have urged the Victorian government to forge its own path and instead embrace new industries and technologies that can make Victoria the national leader on climate action, while creating thousands of jobs.

"Not only does the backward-looking approach of the Morrison government undermine global efforts on climate, but it ties our economic future to out-dated and polluting technology," said Friends of the Earth community campaigner Anna Langford.

"Premier Andrews has already created thousands of climate jobs through legislation such as the Victorian Renewable Energy Target. It can build on this momentum."

COVID-19 has had an immense impact globally, including on how activism is being done.

The significant power of climate activism has been based on it being a grassroots, community-led mass movement. With the introduction of government-mandated social distancing requirements, many of our traditionally effective physical approaches are no longer morally and legally tenable.

Even in-person meetings are off the table. This is requiring a rethink of how we do our activism and where we direct our individual and collective energy. Consequently these constraints are providing fertile ground for shifting towards innovation in digital approaches.