The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down and forced everyday life to stop. This has left climate change activists wondering what this will mean for the future of our planet. Will the fight for climate justice be given the backseat? Or is this a golden opportunity for us to rebuild our world in a sustainable fashion?
A silver lining of the pandemic is the fact that transport has significantly decreased causing pollutions levels to go down. Take Beijing for example, in early January pollution levels were at 30x10^15 molecules/cm and are now at 5x10^15. Sadly this solution is only temporary and many countries must join together in an effort to cut CO2 levels significantly and permanently. 30 countries have already met together on an online conference call to tackle this; the UK’s main focus is shifting the use of cars down remarkably and encourage more people after lockdown to use public transports.
As well as everything that governments are doing to stop climate change, I have seen a lot of teenagers across the globe doing whatever they can to slow down the climate crisis. A popular trend on TikTok is people making their clothes from old dress and t-shirts that fit today’s styles. Now that people have more time, many are planting their own fruit and veg and making more food from home rather than shop-bought things. All of these small efforts build up to help the fight, but will it be enough?
The topic of COVID-19 will be subject matter for months to some and climate change may not be as given as much focus as it needs. Many plans and solutions have been put on hold because of the pandemic and once this is over we need to prioritise putting these back into action for the sake of our futures.
