Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, pollution and climate change have very much held a focus for many as a shift has been seen in both levels and usage – many countries around the world are now reporting that they have not required any coal power for a number of weeks as energy usage drops as businesses remain closed – similar news also comes from less traffic being on the roads due to lockdown measures in place, and reduced pollution levels as flights are grounded and tourism grinds to a halt.
A question that is now being asked however as the path to recovery is very much underway, is whether or not the changes being seen are sustainable. One of the bigger focusses recently has been how an economic recovery will look – businesses are set to start reopening within the coming weeks where they haven’t done so already, the UK is a little behind there as they set to prepare for a larger re-opening in July. Italy has already announced plans to allow international travel to begin once again at some point in June and other countries in Europe are set to follow shortly after – the question this brings is that all of the change currently seen in positive terms for climate change and pollution may all be undone very quickly if there is an overcompensation in how quickly recovery happens – and if the change is undone, what will figures look like afterwards? Is there expected to be a dip during the coronavirus outbreak and a sharp rise, or does it drop and level off as measures are taken to ensure a greener recovery is had.
Many are still on lockdown for now, however, as some businesses remain closed with still the majority at home watching their favourite TV shows and movies or playing their favourite mobile games and casinos not on gamstop – but the change is expected to happen quickly. There has been a call to action from many to urge governments to approach the recovery in the least impactful way on the environment as possible whilst using future goals such as the carbon net zero goal lined out for 2050 as a guideline to stay within but that does seem a little out of reach – it has already been urged that those returning to work use their own personal vehicles rather than public transport for safety reasons leading to concerns of a sudden jump in CO2 emissions.
The next few months as recovery begins will be crucial for a safer approach to protect the environment as the world reopens after two months of running at reduced capacity, and whilst current signs are looking good it does appear that they won’t remain so for long – the hope now is that the currency global change will be recognised and capitalised upon, but a demand to return to a normal life may cast a bigger shadow and the impact of doing so will be outweighed as the economy captures the wider attention.