There
is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is the crisis of the moment, and a
terribly serious one at that, threatening not only human lives but also the
global economy.
But
it’s not the only crisis the world is facing, and we ought not, while
confronting the immediate menace, disregard the other immense threat looming
over us: global warming. Rather, somewhat counter intuitively, we should use
the current pandemic to learn some lessons and glean some insights about the
other perils we will soon be facing.
We’re
not suggesting that climate change contributed to the coronavirus outbreak;
there seems to be no direct link, although experts say a warming world could
accelerate pandemics of insect-borne diseases (the coronavirus is spread person
to person). But the global response to this pandemic does show that the world
can come together to confront a shared threat. That could bode well for
addressing climate change — if we treat it as seriously.
The
pandemic is putting a chokehold on economic activity in hard-hit regions of the
world — China, Europe and here in the U.S. When factories and businesses are
closed, workers and customers stay home (here in California and in New York, by
order of the governors). With few people traveling long distances, airlines
slash flights. Sure, people and businesses continue to use energy, but not at
the levels they did just a month ago. And that reduction in energy use in turn
reduces fossil fuel consumption and emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Little of this will be long-lasting. Once
the epidemic subsides, economic activity will resume and so, presumably, will
emissions.
But
the crisis offers opportunities for change, and we ought to be mindful of them
as the pandemic and the economic crisis play out. Businesses are learning how
much of their workforce can do their jobs remotely, which offers guidance for
how they might operate in the future with a lighter carbon footprint. Consumers
are undergoing a forced experiment in changed patterns of shopping and
consumption.
Congress
and President Trump also are negotiating a series of bailouts and other support
packages to help people and businesses survive. They should take this
opportunity to press for changes in how some of these industries operate.
The
airline industry, for instance, should be asked to do more to reduce its carbon
emissions, which have soared in recent years and will continue to rise as air
travel itself is projected to increase. A September paper from the
International Council on Clean Transportation used industry data to conclude
that commercial air operations account for 2.4% of global carbon emissions from
burning fossil fuels, and that industry emissions in 2018 were 32% higher than
five years before.
One
available emissions-reducing alternative is the use of so-called sustainable
aviation fuels, including biofuels, but they are more expensive than
conventional jet fuel. And airline companies can be pressured to adopt aggressive
plans to replace older, higher-polluting planes. That would be in line with the
demand for increased fuel efficiency commitments that the Obama administration
attached to its bailout package for the auto industry.
Of
course, extracting climate-friendly concessions will vary by the industry
seeking bailout help, so we won’t get too prescriptive here. The main
imperative for the government is to keep climate policy in mind as it devises a
plan to rescue the economy.
But
wait, you think. This is the Trump administration, which at best shrugs at the
science and ignores global warming. True enough, but Congress also is involved,
and it can place climate considerations on the table.
Here’s
a good place to start: The government should not be bailing out the oil and gas
industry at a time when we should be focusing on expanding production of
renewable energy and the infrastructure to store and deliver it.
In
recent days, early coronavirus scoffers — including the president — have come
around to the reality that this pandemic is a deadly threat and have finally
begun taking strong steps to address it. Yet global warming is a larger and
longer-lasting threat to humankind. We have about a decade, according to the
experts, to make significant reductions in carbon emissions to avoid the worst
ramifications of climate change. The world already is seeing the effects in
longer and more severe droughts in some places, record flooding in others,
stronger and more intense tropical storms and regional temperature rises that
are making parts of the word nearly uninhabitable.
The
science confirms all this, as it has confirmed the spread and dangers from the
novel coronavirus. So maybe accepting the reality of COVID-19 will lead the
administration to recognize the reality of climate change and work with
Congress to begin addressing it in meaningful ways.
