As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the climate crisis feels like more distant an issue than at any time in recent history. There is no doubt that Covid-19 should be prioritised in the immediate, but we mustn’t forget climate change remains the top priority when considering our planets future, and I would like to continue to bring attention to this issue. The catastrophic Australian bushfires continued to burn throughout the beginnings of the virus, yet they seem to be associated with an completely separate era of history.
There are instantaneous changes to the environment already visible. The canals in Venice are attracting marine life back due to the lack of boats, birds can be heard in the centre of London because of reduced traffic noise; and the residents of Punjab can once again see the Himalayan mountain peaks.
However these positive changes shouldn’t be seen as long lasting as they are likely to be short-lived. Unfortunately, major disruptions to the global economy will almost certainly hinder any progress with decarbonisation. The pandemic will likely dominate political concern for months, maybe years, and will no doubt overshadow the climate crisis. Climate talks have already been cancelled, the major one being the UN climate talk (COP26) in Glasgow this November, due to the convention centres conversion into a coronavirus hospital.
Although the climate crisis is undoubtedly overshadowed presently, it can’t be ignored. Dozens of environmental ministers from different countries will be partaking in an online conference amid Covid-19 called the ‘Petersberg Climate Dialogue’ which is set to focus on how to achieve a climate friendly economic recovery after the pandemic is over. There is also talk of forging an international agreement on carbon cuts despite the cancellation of the conference in Glasgow (COP26).
On paper this sounds commendable, but I have major doubts on seeing any major ‘green’ implementations. When the Paris deal was signed in 2016 I was thrilled, yet statistics show carbon emission has continued to rise at alarming rates. Even President Trump has already said he will rescue fossil fuel firms, which is a clear indication of the immediate future of the US’s carbon footprint. While the other key player in carbon emissions, China, showed huge drops in pollution and carbon emissions at the start of 2020, I believe this will again be short-lived. This is in part due to China already having approved more fossil fuel power plants in the first three weeks of March than it had in 2019’s entirety.
As history has shown time and time again, environmental concern is dismissed when there is large scale economic loss. Carbon emissions greatly increased after the 2008/9 economic crisis, as countries raced to rebuild and beat out financial competition, a dash for growth. China will likely approve more fossil fuel based projects and the US will likely reduce environmental restrictions as both have proved numerous times that they will chose the economy over the environment. This ugly human desire for power will likely shape the post-pandemic world.
I’m not disregarding the difficult times we currently face, but we must remember that just because a new global crisis has taken hold, it doesn’t mean that the climate crisis has disappeared. The answers to how we reach a sustainable future have not changed. We must think of Covid-19 as an opportunity to improve the climate, not forget it. We must focus our global recovery on sustainable industries and renewable resources and with the huge surge in unemployment it provides the perfect opportunity to invest and grow the workforce for climate friendly business. If governments from around the world come together and act logically we have a fantastic opportunity. I ask others around the globe to voice their opinions, and do what they can to contribute to a sustainable post-pandemic planet.
Jack Newcombe.
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