The coronavirus is opening our eyes to many realities. Here are five lessons to take away from this crisis that better prepare us to deal with climate change:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the pandemic makes its way across the world, we\u2019re realizing that trust in institutions is paramount in a time of crisis. This virus is testing the limits of all of our systems, bringing deep societal structures to the surface, country by country. With the stock market in limbo<\/a>, unemployment through the roof<\/a>, overflowing hospitals<\/a>, who do we look to for information, civil protection, guidance? Who is responsible for containing the virus in addition to preserving the social and economic wellbeing of society? The government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As is the case with climate change, it\u2019s become clear that the market doesn\u2019t have all the answers. We need to apply that same thinking to climate action and start acknowledging the role of the government in a time of crisis<\/a>. Currently, governments around the world are scrambling to come up with national crisis plans to contain the virus and stimulus packages to rebuild their post-pandemic economy. Their actions today can make or break containment of the virus, and these trillion dollar plans can define the next few years of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s reckon with that power, hold them accountable to it by participating in the political process when we can, and keep pushing for a<\/em> green stimulus<\/em><\/a> to tackle the coronavirus and climate change simultaneously.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s become evident that ignoring science has fatal consequences. The politicians who refused to acknowledge<\/a>the early warnings of public health and scientific experts, or are pressed to reopen their economies<\/a>, are and will be paying the price. We owe our lives to the scientific community, heroically working to advise governments, keep the public informed in real-time, run medical trials, find treatments, make projections, save lives. Why shouldn\u2019t we place the same trust in science when it comes to climate change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n For years, climate science has been suppressed, distorted and discredited by interest groups in order to stall action on climate change<\/a>. It\u2019s taken the climate movement years to unravel that doubt, and while climate deniers make up a small minority<\/a>, we can still hear them loud and clear. \u201cThere is no scientific consensus,\u201d they say. Yet this pandemic is giving us a better understanding of the scientific process, which can help us poke holes in the logic of denialism. \u201cScience isn\u2019t just a body of facts<\/a>\u201d but a work-in-progress. We\u2019re understanding the virus more and more everyday, just as we are understanding climate change better everyday. Situations evolve, data and methodologies need to be reworked all the time, but it doesn’t mean that the overarching reality is any less true: the coronavirus still exists, and so does climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Science is our<\/em> best defense<\/em><\/a>, crisis or no crisis. Now we really know how vital is is to elevate its role in the fight against climate change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The coronavirus is a devastating shock to our system, exposing shortcomings in national crisis planning, civil protection systems, healthcare, sanitation, supply chains, housing, labor laws, and more. Most of all, it\u2019s making it painfully clear that governments have long ignored people on the margin<\/a>, left with the economic and social burden of social distancing measures. Could it take a crisis of this magnitude to snap us out of our old ways and make room for a more resilient, progressive, sustainable future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many factors that increase vulnerability to the virus (age, economic status, health, racial inequality, pollution) are also those that create vulnerability to climate change<\/a>. Therefore, addressing these health-related factors can be doubly effective in achieving climate resilience. From an economic standpoint, we’re likely to see companies and governments diversify their supply chains<\/a> and bring production closer to home, thereby reducing the amount of goods flown around the world. Considering most of China shut down as the outbreak got out of hand, the many countries and companies who relied on China for manufacturing were left politically and economically unstable<\/a>\u2014 and they wouldn\u2019t want to relive that again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This crisis is helping us see the need for systemic change, as well as the importance of building economic, social, environmental resilience to future shocks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For those in lockdown, we\u2019ve made radical changes to our lifestyles in ways we thought unimaginable. And for many in affluent countries, those lifestyles weren\u2019t the most eco-friendly \u2014 addiction to traveling<\/a>,hyperconsumerism<\/a>, overexploitation of nature<\/a>. Now, we\u2019re finding ways to stay connected without traveling, we\u2019re working from home, and we\u2019re seeing opportunities for medical<\/a>, education<\/a>, religious<\/a> and government services to be shifted online. Whether we like it or not, this is proof that humans are adaptable creatures capable of behavioral and lifestyle change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A major obstacle to climate action was the inability to see change. We\u2019ve been blind to and accepting of how polluted our environments are; however, life in confinement has given us a taste of a better future to work towards. There is a reason why images of dolphins in the Venice canal<\/a>, the Himalayas<\/a>, or turtles hatching on deserted beaches<\/a> are going viral \u2014 were marveling at the idea that there exists a healthier, cleaner and biodiversity-friendly alternative to what we\u2019re used to. Companies are also beginning to realize that they can put in place more flexible working policies, and certain governments like France<\/a> are reviving their economies to make medical equipment, instead of relying on foreign powers like they used to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t have to resign to the status quo. It\u2019s time to recognize that we \u2014 individuals, businesses, governments \u2014 are all capable of change that can be beneficial to us and to the environment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This virus is rallying the world around a single issue like never before. Inversely, climate change is difficult to rally around because it is manifested across time, space and in severity in wildly different ways. While some countries \u2014 like in the Global South<\/a> \u2014 have been feeling the devastating effects for years and are in dire need of international action, others don\u2019t yet feel the urgency to act. Now, we\u2019re getting the profound sense that we\u2019re all dependent upon each other and that international coordination is vital. That is the kind of thinking we need in order to act on climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This pandemic also reveals an important truth: those working in retail, delivery, transportation, sanitation \u2014 often migrants or women<\/a>, and relegated to the margins of the labor force \u2014 are holding our society together. Suddenly, in a time of crisis, they went from \u2018unskilled\u2019 to \u2018essential workers.\u2019 It seems we\u2019re finally starting torecognize their hard work<\/a> in maintaining our daily lives<\/a>, and that is the appreciation and self-awareness we need to put in place progressive climate policies that don\u2019t leave anyone behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, compassion and solidarity will be crucial as we start to experience the effects of climate change more severely over time. Things won\u2019t always be like they used to, and this unfortunately will not be the last crisis to hit. It\u2019s humanizing, and it\u2019s comforting to think that in a time of crisis, we have it in us to set our individual misfortunes aside and\u00a0come together<\/a>.\u00a0Public applauses for health workers, supplies delivered to elderly or vulnerable people, small acts of kindness of all sorts \u2014 it all matters. And it will help us get through these hardships together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Click below to learn more about Climate Change<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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