Exactly a year before today, on 23 January 2020, when China imposed a lockdown in Wuhan city, perhaps for the first time the entire world had taken Covid with an epidemic.
After a year, Covid-19 has not only caused tremendous damage in the whole world but has also changed the lives of almost everyone on this planet. This epidemic has made the world think and has also challenged all the old norms. This global epidemic, combined with climate change, has created a compound crisis. Also reminded of the need to align human development with nature, which provides new expectations for the coming year. It is important that we learn a lesson from Covid 19 and at the same time move forward to address those challenges in the year ahead.
Some key points of this entire development have been identified:
The world has to solve two crises simultaneously
Zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, and climate change are interlinked global threats. The continuing intensity of the climate crisis amid the epidemic is being felt worldwide. The good thing is that there are very similar ways to avoid this danger, so it is possible to solve them simultaneously.
Some important lessons to be learned
Despite the destruction of Covid-19, people around the world worked together to protect each other and society. The epidemic highlighted the readiness to build a resilient society and economy, where human activities align with sustainable goals.
Integrated system required
We need integrated and systemic change to deal with crises. Both climate and Covid-19 crises have highlighted international inequality.
Green recovery is critical
While there are signs of hope, we need to do more to ensure a uniform green recovery.
Covid-19 has once again revealed that nature, man, and the world are interconnected. Zoonotic diseases, such as covid-19 and climate change are interlinked global threats and share some similar treatments. Aligning responses presents an opportunity to improve public health, create a sustainable economic future, and better protect the planet’s remaining natural resources and biodiversity.
The epidemic has given people the opportunity to reorganize cities and transportation systems and change the way they live, work and travel. People worldwide have worked together to redesign bike lanes and support local supply chains. At the same time, the government has been able to break through barriers that were previously unspecified.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, renewable energy has shown high performance. Renewable sources generated more electricity for the first time than fossil fuel sources in the European Union in the first half of 2020. The world’s fleet of coal-fired power stations has also shrunk for the first time in 2020. The demand for peak oil has also already passed.
The epidemic has also brought about the need to address the issue of inequality. People and leaders are calling for a change of system from all the pillars of society. Many institutions and thought leaders have proposed avenues for remodeling the paths of sustainable development keeping in view the limitations of nature.
Last but not the least, the current green recovery is neither sufficiently large nor ambitious enough. We are still in the mood for rapid emission growth. Green recovery should be the focus of each country’s COVID-19 economic policy. The ‘greenness’ (‘green potential’) of the recovery scheme of industrialized countries appears to be a mixed picture in which the potential benefits of green investment have been underestimated. A green recovery in 2030 could cut greenhouse emissions by 25%, based on policies prior to Covid-19.