Let’s not go back to normal
Today is a challenging time, and many are looking forward to when life can go back to “normal.” This may not only be unrealistic, but a more probable killer than the current pandemic when we count the cumulative impacts of climate change. The slowdown of the economy has been necessary to stymie the spread of disease, but it has also shown us that we can adjust, change and operate differently, quickly.
The last month in China, emissions have dropped by 25% or about 200 million tons of carbon dioxide (mmtCO2e), the equivalent of all of New York’s emissions per year, and 23% of the world’s annual decrease in emissions needed to maintain a livable planet (a.k.a. 1.5° Celsius scenario). Average air quality in New York City has recently improved by 21% (or 3 PM2.5) that can prevent more than 630 premature deaths, 420 hospital admissions and 12,600 emergency department visits if the fresh air continued for the rest of the year.
Areas previously inundated with human activity are seeing endangered animal species re-enter and flourish in cleaner and less busy environments. The most significant contributor to zoonotic diseases, or diseases transferred from animals such as Ebola, SARs and Covid-19, is land use by humans. The disruption of pristine landscapes for urbanization and demand for natural resources leads to degraded environments that drives disease. There may be a clearer economic and societal case for respecting the borders of ecosystems and allowing them to fulfill essential services.
What if when the disease is finally stemmed — as it is becoming in China, Singapore and South Korea — we did not just rush back into a flurry of consumption, but initiated new policies to build upon the positive aspects of this time? What if applicable businesses had staff work from home for half the year, cutting down on emissions from commuting, not to mention frustrated drivers in congested traffic? What if business travel was limited to only those workers who have to travel for manual activities or business-critical meetings?
The stimulus package is meant to aid the free fall of industries in a market that isn’t buying, but some of these industries are our most pollutive. As some members of the U.S. Senate had proposed, a bailout should come with requirements on lowering emissions for airlines, cruise ships and transforming the business models of oil and gas companies towards cleaner energy sources. In addition, since taxpayers may bail these industries out, perhaps this courtesy could come with a proportion of public ownership until the industries can recover to allow taxpayers to have a stake in the activities of the businesses they are funding.
The much awaited CARES Act economic relief fund has also shown that there is money available to support society when it is in need. Funding that can and could be used for addressing society’s chronic pains: healthcare, student debt, investing in clean energy, technologies and infrastructure. As we dip into another U.S. recession, let us not repeat history by bailing out pollutive industries that would only lead us into another health crisis in terms of air pollution and climate change. Now is the time to kickstart a different future in more ways than one.
Not only will a reversion to “normal” result in a continued lack of resiliency as diseases and disasters only increase, but more than ever before there are plentiful options for constructing an alternative future. Renewable energy is cheaper than coal, high-speed trains and electric vehicle chargers could reduce transportation emissions significantly and fiber-optic infrastructure could provide the high speeds needed to optimize worldwide business and municipal activities. Not only have sustainability-oriented investments been steadier in a volatile market, but movement towards a greener economy could provide $12 trillion in economic growth and 380 million jobs a year by 2030, including the 1.2 billion jobs globally that rely on reliable environmental processes such as agriculture.
This is an inaugural experience for all of us, but also the first time in history that the world has endured such a crisis as a global community. It will not be our last. While this time is indeed full of suffering, let us not just get through and forget about this time. May we instead acknowledge and integrate it into our collective wisdom in order to create a healthier, more stable and less painful future. Now.
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