Why are so many people afraid of the coronavirus (COVID-19) but not of climate change?
Everyday life as we know it has shifted across the globe, and there was a sharp halt in economic activity. Yet, it has enabled the environment to breathe in fresh air. We must use this pandemic as an opportunity to reopen the world economy with a focus on mitigating climate change.
In India, the Himalaya Mountains are clearly visible. In Venice, Italy, water in the canals are clear. In New Delhi, air pollution reduced by 70 percent. In China, it was reduced by 18 percent. In the European Union, by 58 percent. In the Northeastern U.S., by 30 percent.
According to Marshall Burke, an assistant professor in Stanford’s earth system science department, in China alone, two months of reduced pollution is likely to have saved the lives of 4,000 children under the age of 5 and 73,000 adults over the age of 70.
While these shifts are temporary, the statistics are sobering numbers that remind us of how influential human industrial activity is on the environment. Currently, the world’s governments are focused on the immediate future: restarting the economy. Policy packages aimed at reducing carbon emissions, such as the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, are sitting on the sidelines.
It was encouraging to see such a rapid and global response to the pandemic and how cooperative society became. All of us understood the importance of social distancing and the stay-at-home order, and we were willing to alter our lives for a better future. The global response to COVID-19 gives me hope that such cooperation can be exhibited for climate change.
Numerous countries are faced with the immediate problem of kick-starting their economy. Although carbon emissions have temporarily plummeted, environmental concerns are on the backburner and it is feasible that carbon emissions will exceed the levels before the pandemic struck in efforts to regain lost time.
This flawed mindset focuses on the short-term. The environment and economy work in conjunction. If we have a flourishing environment, we will have a prosperous economy. The age-old tradition of “kicking the can down the road” will end once we hit a dead end. That dead end is climate change, and we have an opportunity to change directions.
The ramifications of choosing economic progress at the negligence of the environment is evident from the past and through the present. Deforestation made way for infrastructure but fragmented forests and led to less biodiversity. It hurts animal populations in forests and increases the likelihood of disease.
For example, Lyme disease has ancient origins, but once forests shrunk, deer, mice and chipmunks took over the Northeast. That is because these fragmented forests allow more sunlight to hit the ground and thus more browse—the food that deer eat—was produced. The influx of acorns drew mice and chipmunks. These three animals are optimal carriers for ticks, which latch onto animals that frequently reside near houses. Lyme disease still remains a common threat in the Northeast.
Deforestation leads to soil erosion and can trigger landslides. Groundwater mining pulls water from the earth quicker than it can be replaced, threatening water supplies. Places like Louisiana and Florida are struggling with rising sea levels, too. These are just a couple examples out of an abundance of others.
Environmental disruptions are costly problems. If a downward trend in biodiversity continues at this rate, the cost of uncured diseases, eroded infrastructures, polluted water supplies, invasive species and much more it is estimated to consume 7 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product by 2050.
Perhaps if the governments of the world took a moment to step back and look at the bigger picture, they would recognize that focusing on the environment will save them money in the long run and preserve the planet. If we can take swift and drastic measures to protect human health from COVID-19, we can certainly do more to help all, human and nonhuman, life continue well past our lifetimes.
It is important to acknowledge that it will be challenging to shift society towards greener habits, but regardless, we must keep climate talks on the table. It is not a discussion to be pushed aside because it is intrinsically tied to all economic decisions. Once we accept that the economy and environment are not on opposing sides, we will realize a healthy environment means a healthy economy.
