How Covid-19 is Preparing Us for the Next Big Crisis
When India had to undergo the largest lockdown in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic, residents of Delhi- which is one of the most polluted cities in the world- had the chance to breathe air that wasn’t as heavily polluted as usual, although they couldn’t step outside to enjoy it. Not just Delhi, this phenomenon was experienced in many places around the world. It seemed like this pandemic had put a full stop to everything, including matters like pollution- which is a good sign for the environment. But that was temporary- rather than being a full stop, it was merely a semicolon separating us from what lies in store for us post this health crisis. Extrapolating what this pandemic has brought about, we are definitely in for much worse if we do not take systemic action now.
If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s about how to address climate change. On closer inspection, one can find several parallels between this pandemic and the climate change crisis:
- Reports show that we were given warnings about the pandemic in its early stages, similar to how scientists have been warning us about the climate change crisis for decades now.
- Similar to how there is a time delay in people contracting the virus, and the virus affecting the person and spreading in the community, there is a considerable delay between us carrying out potentially damaging activities for the environment and its consequences.
- The impact Covid-19 has on a human such as aggravated respiratory conditions, as well as the impact it has on our health infrastructure and economy- these things will very much happen once climate change takes a turn for the worse and crosses the point of no return.
- This pandemic requires the same level of cooperation we wish to see when it comes to climate change- collective action, public understanding, support for the economy, etc.
It is important, therefore, to realize that any action we don’t take now towards fixing our environment will have severe penalties in the future. According to American business magnate Bill Gates, controlling the pandemic situation now will help us control the climate crisis in the long run.
“That idea of innovation and science and the world working together- that is totally common between these two problems.” -Bill Gates
The pandemic has shown us that we as a society are capable of transforming overnight, as we had to lock ourselves up in our homes and shift our work cultures online. This is the best window to usher in changes that can have a lasting positive impact on the environment and economy as well. And this window is also open in terms of the multitude of opportunities that lie in store for entrepreneurs to develop businesses that will have a lasting impact on the community.
This health crisis has shifted the focus of many entrepreneurs to deal with it. Even in the past, we’ve noticed similar patterns. During the 2003 SARS epidemic in China, people had begun to self-quarantine. This is when Alibaba saw the opportunity and focused on online shopping to cater to the situation then. This put it on its path to becoming a $500 billion company. Fast forward to 2020, companies are doing the same now. They are innovating to fight the pandemic, to make people’s quarantines more comfortable, and to help people who have been hit hard by this economic downturn.
An AI-based software platform, Qventus is helping hospitals automate patient flow. This software is being used by the New York-Presbyterian Hospital to relieve their medical staff and administration. Banjo Robinson, an ed-tech company involved in providing children with fun-filled activities and pen pal experiences, is helping children remain engaged and lifting off the burden from parents who have to deal with work and homeschooling their kids. Social impact startup Aunt Bertha is helping connect those offering resources with those who desperately need them.
Entrepreneurs are innovating more than ever to keep their businesses afloat as well as to address the pandemic. But as entrepreneurs have taken this up as a challenge and come up with solutions, they will have to do the same when it comes to environmental issues.
If we focus only on Covid-19 right now, we will be left to deal with other major pandemics, especially a climate-related one. This one might’ve been biological, and was probably inevitable, but the next one will surely be a result of human actions and is very much preventable. As Donella Meadows highlights in her 1972 report The Limits of Growth, our future depends on how we respond to many similar and successive crises that head our way, not by just one apocalyptic event. Hence, it’s important to view this pandemic as a dress rehearsal in terms of entrepreneurial action, focused on environmental and social entrepreneurship, and apply the lessons we learned the hard way via this pandemic to future crises. We need to accelerate our response to this pandemic, as well as climate change.
If we ever face a pandemic again in the future, we would have learned from our mistakes this time, and will hopefully be able to handle the next situation better. But we will not get the same opportunities when it comes to this planet. There is no second chance; there is no second planet. And we cannot wait till the end of this pandemic to cater to the severity of climate change.
References:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/15/hot-spots-of-innovation-as-a-result-of-coronavirus-pandemic.html
