COVID-19 lessons can be applied to climate change

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/03/2020 (1484 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many people have a knack for finding reasons to be hopeful and positive, even while suffering adversity. Some of us are more gifted at this than others. I tend to align myself with a more pessimistic bunch of folks. However, maybe being a pessimist doesn’t rule out finding the silver lining as much as I thought it did, because, amid this pandemic, I am finding reasons to be encouraged.

I do not want to downplay the gravity of the situation or the hardships that many are facing and will face. In a few short weeks, we have drastically altered the way our world functions in the face of the real and imminent threat of the COVID-19. Governments around the world have enforced sweeping restrictions on travel, all kinds of gathering places have decided to close their doors, businesses have had to shut down, individuals have changed the way they interact with one another. The cancellations and restrictions are, and will continue to be, difficult for everyone. Perhaps the hardest part of this pandemic is that one of our main sources of comfort in difficult times — being physically close to one another — is, in many cases, no longer an option.

No one knows exactly what the outcome of this pandemic will be, or how long it will continue, but it will come to an end.

However, there is another imminent threat to humanity that is just as real as the current pandemic and has no end in sight. The threat that looms larger than the current pandemic is the rapidly warming climate that humanity has created by indiscriminately pumping greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

So, you may be wondering where I see the silver lining that I wrote of earlier. Just like the current pandemic, there are drastic and urgent measures that governments, industries and individuals can take to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change. It has been only a few weeks since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, yet in this short time, we have learned some very important things that, when faced with a near and serious threat, governments are capable of taking bold action, making sweeping changes, and putting people’s health and well-being ahead of short-term economic interests. Individuals are capable of dramatically altering their lifestyle, even if inconvenient, to reduce harm to themselves and their neighbours. This is very encouraging because it is only this kind of action that will move us away from our current trajectory, and on to a path that leads to a livable future.

Although the consequences of an unabated warming climate are far worse than the current pandemic, the drastic measures required to address it are generally far less unpleasant — in many cases, just the opposite. Many businesses and industries will need to be transformed, but not shut down. People won’t need to keep their distance from each other, and, in fact, combating and adapting to our changing climate means strengthening our relationships with our friends, neighbours, and communities and recognizing the bounties that are available to us locally.

We are more capable than we might think. Change is possible. Transformation is coming. A more beautiful and more just earth awaits. I look forward to it.

 

REBECCA VAN OTTERLOO

Dauphin