The world is fighting hard to minimize the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on news reports, some nations have carried out policies that have achieved moderate success, while, in other cases, there has been failure. The crisis can provide us insights for ways to act for the next big global crisis we face: climate change.

The “good” news of the COVID-19 pandemic is that global actions can be implemented quickly when faced with a crisis. Except for a couple of outliers, just about every nation in the world did act, although some were painfully slow. Many nations deserve credit for actions, imperfect as some are, given that there is no “playbook” for handling this crisis. We are learning about the coronavirus “on the fly” and thus, prescriptive remedies (do this and the virus will disappear) do not exist. It is human nature to be careful and not embark on a strategy unless one is sure of success. That is not the case here. Nations implemented extreme lockdown measures, at the risk of upsetting their populations and causing economic hardship, to slow down the virus’s spread, without a guarantee of success (how compliant would people be? would it actually slow the spread?).

Another bit of “good” news coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efforts to combat the spread of the virus, such as the lockdown and closing of many businesses has resulted in noticeably cleaner air, as much data now confirms and pictures demonstrate. For those who worry we can never reduce greenhouse gas emissions, here is proof that it can be done. Now, how can we keep reducing levels even more as businesses re-open and people begin to move toward “normal”? Can some of these changes (telecommuting, home school, reduced auto/plane travel) become permanent?

However, the COVID-19 pandemic teaches us hard lessons in case of a future crisis or for dealing with climate change. Ultimately, the world was poorly prepared, despite warning signs, such as other pandemics (SARS, MERS, Ebola) causing huge numbers of deaths in recent decades. If we had planned for this pandemic using the lessons of past ones, COVID-19 would not have been avoided, but probably would have been less deadly. We now see early warning signs of climate change-caused effects on Earth. We should plan and invest smartly to lessen future climate change worst-case scenarios.

Another lessen is that national borders do not hinder the spread of the coronavirus. Thus, coordinated national and international planning and communication are critical. Even the many robust local responses to COVID-19 may be for naught if other places are more lax in containing the virus hastening its spread. We learned cooperation is critical for distribution of equipment (ventilators) and PPE. Thus, we must make an effort to coordinate a global response to climate change. Reducing global GHG emissions and coping with its worst physical impacts will similarly require concerted global action.

Finally, what will our economic recovery be like? It is an opportunity not just to bring economic activity to life, but, with a concern for climate change, we can recover smartly by favoring energy efficiency and clean energy which would also address the next crisis, climate change. It is a simple fact that for most businesses recovery will be slow. With high unemployment, few people have the money to buy what they have to offer. Thus, revenue recovery will be slow. That’s all the more reason that companies need to cut their expenses, and reducing energy costs is a very good, long-lasting way to do so and put yourself in a more competitive situation. CCES has the experts to suggest proven, company-specific strategies to significantly reduce energy costs and manage their implementation for your benefit. To minimize the inconvenience to reduce your expenses. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.