There is a slightly alternative version of this article which focuses further on how we can use this crisis to implement change on the website of Momentous Change, a consultancy company based in Edinburgh. Go and have a look here.
As I reach my halfway point through the lockdown which started just over two weeks ago in New-Zealand, I cannot help but think hard and often about what a post-Covid world will look like.
Interestingly, I have written an article on this topic exactly two weeks ago, before the start of the lockdown and before New-Zealand declared a state of emergency. My questions and concerns were almost exclusively material and pragmatic focusing on how to save the economy and advising to take this opportunity to finally implement a Green New Deal.
Today, my mindset has changed greatly.
My thoughts lean increasingly toward the philosophical side of thinking, and I now catch myself wondering about our capacity as humans to induce change as well as our desire to implement it. This key question is at the heart of how we handle worldwide crises. We are repeatedly proving that we can adapt – considering that three billion people are currently under strict lockdown, it is actually impressive that there hasn’t been more violence and only fights over loo rolls rather than food. Stuck indoors, we had to become more attuned to how we function: we intrinsically are social animals and these lockdowns are therefore taking away from us the very core of how we interact and what we rely on to maintain our mental health.
The lockdowns have also induced a huge drop in greenhouse gas emissions around the world. For example, this drop has reached 25% in China and global oil demand has fallen by a quarter. Nevertheless, we know that this is not sustainable nor wanted in the long-run: the transition to a sustainable world is not about locking people inside and triggering an unprecedented economic crash until the planet gets better. The narrative which circulated on how coronavirus is a message from Earth telling us to behave is dangerous: a green transition does not look like lockdown under Covid-19. It is about investing into a fairer society through governments’ lead, businesses activities and individual action to ensure a sustainable future for us all.
The narrative which circulated on how coronavirus is a message from Earth telling us to behave is dangerous: a green transition does not look like lockdown under Covid-19.
Covid-19 has been forcing us to switch our behaviours in ways that happen to be climate-friendly; we work differently, we keep essential services only and we have drastically reduced our use of transport, one of the biggest worldwide polluters. We have shown incredible support to our essential services including health care, supermarket staff, bus drivers and teachers. Covid-19 has also highlighted the stark inequalities in our society; while the wealthiest could escape to their countryside homes to avoid being locked in their apartments, Uber drivers or Amazon workers had to keep delivering and sending parcels to people who ordered the latest yoga mats.
These facts and discrepancies are key components of how we are dealing with crises. They highlight the fact that what we used to value (economic gain) is, at best not enough, at worst irrelevant, in a world where millions might catch a virus and die from it. It proves that we need each other through strong communities and well-functioning public services which shouldn’t (and can't be) be a luxury. It illustrates that governments do have the power to act, fast and strong. Finally, it shows that a world where our carbon footprint is lower is possible.
These are some the components we need for a transition toward sustainable societies and a safe planet. The way we respond to this crisis will determine how we respond to the climate crisis. Despite the horrors of Covid-19, we might be able to learn from it, as societies. To grow our resilience, but mostly to see that collective action to save humanity, is indeed possible and needed. Like climate change, Covid-19 doesn’t stop at borders. We can use these learnings to address the climate emergency and ensure that as individuals, communities, businesses and governments, we are all part of a world which puts people and planet above anything else.