Response To Covid-19 Should Also Be A Response To Climate Crisis

Now is the time to ramp up actions on resilience so that society can beat the COVID-19 crisis while reducing the impact of climate threats.

- Preety Bhandari and Arghya Sinha Roy

The last few weeks have taken all of us by surprise. We are confined to our homes. Weaknesses in healthcare systems have been exposed. Jobs are uncertain. Women are bearing the burden of providing informal care within families. Millions are being pushed back into poverty. Stock markets are reeling.

We long for normality. But when life was normal we were already in crisis – a climate crisis. Returning to that status quo isn’t an option. Instead, we should ensure our decisions to tackle this pandemic do not compound the climate crisis. Rather, they should help shape an inclusive and sustainable future for all.

Now is the time to ramp up our actions on resilience so that our society can beat the COVID-19 crisis and reduce the impact of climate threats.

Following five approaches can drive this shift

First, use the opportunity to tackle the climate crisis head-on, as well as the pandemic. Though national borders are closed, global solidarity is high. Time and resources are in short supply. We do not have the luxury nor the financing to deal with each crisis separately. More importantly, dealing with the impact of both requires us to urgently address underlying vulnerabilities – poverty, limited social safety nets, weak health systems and structural gender inequalities.

Tackling issues together can redouble resilience. For example, more resilient healthcare systems would cope better during pandemics. They could also deal more effectively with diseases caused by climate change, such respiratory ailments due to higher temperatures and waterborne illnesses from changes in precipitation.