Renew Extra Weekly

Some say the tragic Coronavirus emergency means that climate change concerns will have to be put on the back burner, but they can’t be left aside for long – they also need urgent action.   Some of the things that need to be done to cut emissions may be hindered by Covid 19, others may be helped. The central and overwhelming story is of course a horrible one, but there may be some   positive sides. Being hopeful, the Coronavirus may have created an awareness of the benefits of changes in how we use energy. The Coronavirus lock down in China and then elsewhere did show what the word might be like without so much fossil-fuel use– with less cars, trucks, factories and power plants spewing out toxic gases, and many fewer aircraft in flight, leading to air you could breathe and a big potential reduction in air pollution reductions and   respiratory diseases.   Certainly emissions fel l in China as energy demand, and coal use, fell. To an extent then, grim though ...

The Coronavirus emergency has moved center stage and demands urgent responses. It may temporarily reduce carbon emissions as economic activity and energy use falls off, but that doesn’t mean the climate emergency has gone away, or is any less urgent. Short term cuts in CO2 emissions due to COVID-19 responses, however welcome, will not reduce climate change impacts for some while. So there will still be a need for urgent emergency ameliorative responses - including measures to deal with continuing climate change impacts, flood rescue operations, firefighting and so on. In addition, there will be a need for longer term adaptation to climate change, where possible , for example by investing in enhanced sea-rise protection in flood-prone areas.   All of this costs money, which may be scarce given the need to combat the Coronavirus. However, s ome of these climate impact protection measures will boost the GDP, and may also save money , by reducing damage and social costs, at leas...