Addressing climate change in a post-pandemic world
Updated: May 21, 2020
Lest we forget there's bigger challenges than Covid-19 out there, this is a a great piece from Mckinsey (the management consultancy) on the lessons we can learn from the current situation as far as addressing the more significant issues that will be caused by climate changes.
It looks at similarities and differences, key amongst the latter being that a pandemic is (broadly speaking) singular, predictable and (in theory) controllable whereas climate change is none of these: a complex system of many loosely connected reinforcing factors. It also points out something that is rarely reported: that climate change and habitat destruction is a major risk factor and accelerator for pandemics in the first place - ie climate change helps precipitate things like Covid.
It also explores how our response to Covid might help mitigate climate change...but also contribute to it if we're not careful, in a drive to ensure economic bounce back and a return to normal. Which is a worry, as 'normal' is the problem. As has been widely reported elsewhere, what we really need to be looking for is future-facing solutions that have the green economy at their heart.