COVID-19 has rightly dominated our collective global attention in 2020. We’re inundated with a steady stream of information (and in some cases, disinformation) on how we are managing through this crisis.
At the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change, we have been following this like everyone else, while also taking note of the important social and political commentary, research, and insights on the connections between COVID-19 and climate change. There are many fundamental similarities to the systemic and socially regressive nature of climate risk. Insights into on our collective (and individual) responses to the pandemic can inform how we fight the climate crisis going forward.
Without diminishing the unprecedented dislocation of the unfolding pandemic, COVID-19 provides a preview of the compounding impacts and future risks to the economy and vulnerable populations that we face in a world beyond +2°C. This will also be an turning point in history that could either accelerate our transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient world, or set us back years, if not decades.
One thing is clear: COVID-19 has emphasized the interconnectedness of our world and the difficult reality of our shared vulnerabilities. We hope the profound lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic inspire the social innovation and economic transformation required by the climate crisis.
Daniel Scott, Executive Director, IC3 & Simon Glauser, Managing Director, IC3