As the world soldiers on to combat this formidable adversary, another global catastrophe — one involving higher stakes and no cure — looms large. The threat posed by unmitigated climate change is more real and palpable today than ever before.
Almost four months since the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in Wuhan, China, countries all over the world are grappling with its unprecedented and astoundingly grim realities. The pandemic has unmasked glaring vulnerabilities in our healthcare, economic and political systems; highlighted the fractures in our institutions; and exposed the fallibility of our national psyches. It has taught us, in the hardest way possible, that despite our growing scientific and technological prowess, we are ultimately at the mercy of the natural world and its whims.
As the world soldiers on to combat this formidable adversary, another global catastrophe — one involving higher stakes and no cure — looms large. The threat posed by unmitigated climate change is more real and palpable today than ever before. While the immediate priority for every country is to battle COVID-19, it is also important to internalise critical lessons that the pandemic offers to avert the climate change crisis.
One lesson that resonates loud and clear from the way the world has (mis)handled the COVID-19 crisis is the power of early, aggressive action. Research shows that if China had introduced precautionary interventions (such as quarantine and social distancing) even one week earlier, the number of cases could have been reduced by 66 percent.
In a similar vein, we have had decades of warning about the harmful consequences of climate change. However, these warnings have failed to catalyse global climate action. At the launch of the UN’s flagship report on the State of the Global Climate in 2019, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that the world is currently “way off track” to meet either the 1.5°C or 2°C targets outlined in the Paris Agreement. Since we have already missed the bus on early climate action, our best and last resort is to increase our ambition and implement bold, radical measures to halt the pace of climate change.
The pandemic has emphasised the importance of neutralising externalities to economic growth. China has been accused of downplaying the outbreak and delaying the lockdown in Wuhan as they dreaded the economic impact. Failing to gauge how destructive COVID-19 could be, China was unsuccessful in internalising this vicious externality.
The same is experienced in the context of climate change mitigation. Governments all over the world find it difficult to reduce industrial emissions, phase out coal or implement carbon taxes as they do not factor in its environmental and health costs. As we grapple with the pandemic, we must dwell on this crucial lesson and acknowledge that economic growth and environmental protection represent a false trade-off.
The enormity of suffering and destruction inflicted by COVID-19 demonstrates that adaptation is simply not enough when dealing with a global crisis. COVID-19 adaptation measures such as the conversion of train coaches and stadiums into isolation wards, building ICUs in shipping containers and making protective masks at home highlight the power of human ingenuity in the face of an unforeseen challenge. However, it also draws attention to the fact that these adaptive measures are grossly inadequate when confronted with a crisis of this scale and magnitude.
The same logic applies to climate change. Adaptation measures such as developing drought-tolerant crops, building seawalls to protect coastal communities against rising sea levels, and adopting energy-efficient building codes are of crucial importance to minimise the adverse effects of climate change. However, they must not take precedence over climate mitigation, and emission reduction as the scale of adaptation will become unimaginable if the reduction of emissions is not addressed.
Another distinctive feature of the COVID-19 pandemic is its disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Poor and disadvantaged groups are feeling the worst effects of this health, economic and social crisis. Similarly, climate risk is most acute for low-income countries and individuals. Even as countries all over the world introduce relief packages to ameliorate the human suffering caused by the pandemic, they must take cognisance of the fact that poverty alleviation is not just a crucial development challenge, but is also one of the most potent adaptation measures to combat a crisis.
According to research published in The Lancet, individual action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is likely to be as important, if not more, than government action. Government actions such as the imposition of lockdowns, the provision of good diagnostic facilities, and remotely accessed health advice are unequivocally critical to containing the outbreak, but it is measures undertaken by private individuals such as social distancing and early self-isolation that are making a difference.
Environmentalists have been advocating for climate action at the individual level for decades but have faced strong backlash from sceptics who point out that individual actions such as purchasing an electric car or stopping plastic use are a futile drop in the ocean when compared to the massive structural transformations required to mitigate climate change. Economists often argue that self-serving individuals are more likely to do what they find individually rational even though it might produce a collectively irrational outcome, a conundrum referred to as the Tragedy of the Commons. However, the COVID-19 pandemic drives home the point that it is possible to mobilise individuals by appealing to their moral sense of duty, personal security and solidarity. Pro-climate individual action is valuable as it may unleash a behavioural contagion by exerting a positive influence on others in society. The pandemic also highlights that clear and transparent communication is essential for stoking and channelling individual action. For instance, countries such as South Korea and Taiwan were able to flatten the curve by relying on effective communication, widespread testing and contact tracing without resorting to draconian lockdowns. Similarly, it is important to adopt transparent and effective communication strategies for driving pro-climate actions among individuals.
Countries all over the world have taken unprecedented fiscal, monetary and macro-financial measures to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. This clearly shows that such measures are discretionary in nature; it is well within the state’s purview to implement them in drastic situations. This can serve as a strong precedent for those who avoid financing the green transition citing regulatory and legal barriers. As governments around the world design measures to revive their crumbling economies, they must ensure that these measures are pivoted around climate action. Massive public investment in renewable-energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies must be prioritised to restart the economy and catalyse a transition away from fossil fuels. Any stimulus that is injected into the economy must be a green one.
The COVID-19 pandemic has jolted us into remembering the basics of ‘Economics 101,’ rudely reminding us that natural resources (and public health systems) are public goods that will be exploited (and inadequately provided) in the absence of strong policy intervention and collective action. The crisis underscores the importance of including global health and climate mitigation as central pillars of global governance going forward.
Aptly summarised by climate economist Gernot Wagner, “COVID-19 is climate change on warp speed.” It is naïve to look for silver linings in this massive COVID-19 cloud. However, the pandemic does offer valuable lessons for averting cataclysmic suffering that unmitigated climate change portends. How well we remember these lessons and act on them is likely to shape our economies and lives for years to come.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Tanushree Chandra was a Junior Fellow with ORFs Economy and Growth Programme. She works at the intersection of economic research project management and policy implementation. ...
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