The world is coming together to fight coronavirus. It can do the same for the climate crisis
This story was originally published on March 18 and has been updated to reflect the latest numbers on confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths from Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.
(CNN)While the coronavirus pandemic and climate change are inherently different issues, they share two important characteristics: both are global crises that threaten the lives of millions of people.
Yet only one crisis has inspired widespread, drastic action from countries across the globe. As Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, spreads, governments, businesses and individuals around the world have undertaken unprecedented measures akin to wartime efforts.
Countries have been put into lockdown, schools closed, events canceled, factories shuttered, millions told to work from home and emergency funds released. No economic cost has been too big to stem the spread of the disease.Coronavirus is proving that it is possible to make dramatic changes and economic sacrifices to save lives.
Read MoreFor decades, scientists have been demanding that climate crisis be taken this seriously. But despite numerous international agreements, governments have been slow to take action to reduce carbon emissions.”It actually hurts because it shows that at the national, or international level, if we need to take action we can. So why haven’t we for climate? And not with words, with real actions,” said Donna Green, associate professor at University of New South Wales’s Climate Change Research Centre. Heat-trapping emissions from human activity keep rising, air pollution continues to choke cities, and the world is on track to warm by 3°C above pre-industrial levels. So why haven’t governments done more to protect their citizens from the impact of climate change?
Climate change is a global health crisis
The climate crisis is also a global health emergency. Air pollution kills 7 million people every year, according to the World Health Organization. A recent study found toxic air shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average. And the life of every child born today will be profoundly affected by climate change, according to another report. The novel coronavirus, discovered in China in mid-December, has so far killed more than 24,000 people, and infected more than 550,000 in 176 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the WHO and additional sources.The impact of the virus has been sudden and dramatic. The toll of climate change is slow and steady — but no less deadly. Part of the difference in the response to the two crises is that, for many people, the virus is more of an immediate, tangible threat. The virus is infecting people now and is the undisputed source of their illness.”You can put a virus particle down a microscope and draw a picture of it, it looks scary. You can explain how in medical science, you can deal with that particular virus, develop a vaccine and take steps to respond,” said Green.Climate crisis is not a virus. The illnesses it causes and dangers it poses come through a third party — pollution, a flood, a drought — giving climate crisis deniers an opportunity to argue they were caused by other factors.And for many people not on the front lines, climate crisis feels like a future problem. “In terms of their lives, and this being an existential crisis, and a threat, I don’t think that comes off as immediately as something like a pandemic,” said Miro Korenha, co-founder of Our Daily Planet, a Washington DC-based environmental news platform. “They hear climate change is something that might be off in the future, maybe it won’t hit their community.”
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff wearing protective suits ride down an escalator at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on Wednesday, March 18.Hide Caption 1 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hasidic Jewish men take part in a “social distancing” minyan in New York on Tuesday, March 17.Hide Caption 2 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A patient in a biocontainment unit is carried on a stretcher in Rome on March 17.Hide Caption 3 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A pedestrian walks a dog through a quiet street in New York on March 17.Hide Caption 4 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People gather to collect free face masks in New Delhi on March 17.Hide Caption 5 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Dermot Hickey, left, and Phillip Vega ask a pedestrian in New York to take their picture on a thinly trafficked Fifth Avenue on March 17. Many streets across the world are much more bare as people distance themselves from others. In the United States, the White House has advised people not to gather in groups of more than 10.Hide Caption 6 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Students at the Attarkiah Islamic School wear face masks during a ceremony in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat on March 17.Hide Caption 7 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait outside a Woolworths store in Sunbury, Australia on March 17. Australian supermarket chains announced special shopping hours for the elderly and people with disabilities so that they can shop in less crowded aisles.Hide Caption 8 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit carries out a general disinfection at the Malaga airport on Monday, March 16.Hide Caption 9 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Displaced families near Atme, Syria, attend a workshop aimed at spreading awareness about the coronavirus.Hide Caption 10 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a screen in Paris as he announces new coronavirus containment measures on March 16. France has been put on lockdown, and all nonessential outings are outlawed and can draw a fine of up to €135 ($148). Macron also promised to support French businesses by guaranteeing €300 billion worth of loans and suspending rent and utility bills owed by small companies.Hide Caption 11 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer checks the temperatures of bus passengers at a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines, on March 16.Hide Caption 12 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Flowers are stored prior to their destruction at a flower auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, on March 16. Lower demand due to the coronavirus outbreak is threatening the Dutch horticultural sector, forcing the destruction of products.Hide Caption 13 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Two nuns greet neighbors from their balcony in Turin, Italy, on Sunday, March 15.Hide Caption 14 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pope Francis, inside the Church of San Marcello in Rome’s city center, prays at a famous crucifix that believers claim helped to save Romans from the plague in 1522.Hide Caption 15 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wait for their flights at Marrakesh Airport in Morocco on March 15.Hide Caption 16 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US Vice President Mike Pence takes a question during a White House briefing about the coronavirus on March 15.Hide Caption 17 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Sea World employee sprays disinfectant in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, March 14.Hide Caption 18 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait in line to go through customs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on March 14. Travelers returning from Europe say they were being made to wait for hours at US airports, often in close quarters, as personnel screened them for the coronavirus.Hide Caption 19 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hundreds of people lined up to enter a Costco in Novato, California, on March 14. Many people have been stocking up on food, toilet paper and other items. As a response to panic buying, retailers in the United States and Canada have started limiting the number of toilet paper that customers can buy in one trip.Hide Caption 20 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of the White House physician’s office takes a media member’s temperature in the White House briefing room on March 14. It was ahead of a news conference with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.Hide Caption 21 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Reporters in Arlington, Virginia, sit approximately 4 feet apart during a briefing by Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie on Friday, March 13.Hide Caption 22 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People walk past a closed Broadway theater on March 13 after New York canceled all gatherings over 500 people.Hide Caption 23 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Body temperatures are scanned as people enter the Buddhist temple Wat Pho in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 13.Hide Caption 24 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Costco customer stands by two shopping carts in Richmond, California, on March 13.Hide Caption 25 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A teacher works in an empty classroom at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.Hide Caption 26 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman looks at an empty bread aisle in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 13.Hide Caption 27 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Employees of the Greek Parliament wear plastic gloves ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.Hide Caption 28 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A motorcyclist drives through disinfectant sprayed in Jammu, India, on March 13.Hide Caption 29 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers prepare to construct an additional building on a hospital on the outskirts of Moscow.Hide Caption 30 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Paul Boyer, head equipment manager of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, wheels out equipment bags in Washington on Thursday, March 12. The NHL is among the sports leagues that have suspended their seasons.Hide Caption 31 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Students leave Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, on March 12. Beginning the following day, schools in the Snohomish school district planned to be closed through April 24.Hide Caption 32 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak An Uber Eats delivery biker stands at a deserted Piazza di Spagna in Rome.Hide Caption 33 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, watch a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump on March 12. Trump announced that, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, he would sharply restrict travel from more than two dozen European countries.Hide Caption 34 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers in protective suits disinfect Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace on March 11.Hide Caption 35 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A person wearing a face mask walks outside of a shopping mall in Beijing on March 11.Hide Caption 36 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Police officers restrain the relative of an inmate outside the Sant’Anna jail in Modena, Italy, on March 9. Riots broke out in several Italian jails after visits were suspended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.Hide Caption 37 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff in Wuhan, China, celebrate after all coronavirus patients were discharged from a temporary hospital on March 9.Hide Caption 38 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 9. Stocks plummeted as coronavirus worries and an oil price race to the bottom weighed on global financial markets.Hide Caption 39 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Rescuers search for victims at the site of a collapsed hotel in Quanzhou, China, on March 8. The hotel was being used as a coronavirus quarantine center.Hide Caption 40 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Grand Princess cruise ship, carrying at least 21 people who tested positive for coronavirus, is seen off the coast of San Francisco on March 8. The ship was being held at sea.Hide Caption 41 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Sumo wrestlers attend a tournament in Osaka, Japan, that was being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.Hide Caption 42 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A couple rides a bicycle at a park in Seoul, South Korea, on March 7. Hide Caption 43 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A volunteer from Blue Sky Rescue uses fumigation equipment to disinfect a residential compound in Beijing on March 5.Hide Caption 44 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Airmen from the California National Guard drop coronavirus testing kits down to the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California on March 5.Hide Caption 45 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Municipal workers are seen at the Kaaba, inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque. Saudi Arabia emptied Islam’s holiest site for sterilization over coronavirus fears, an unprecedented move after the kingdom suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage.Hide Caption 46 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers react as a worker wearing a protective suit disinfects the departure area of a railway station in Hefei, China, on March 4.Hide Caption 47 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Teachers at the Nagoya International School in Japan conduct an online class for students staying at home as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.Hide Caption 48 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Soldiers spray disinfectant throughout a shopping street in Seoul.Hide Caption 49 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Muslim worshipper attends a mass prayer against coronavirus in Dakar, Senegal, on March 4. It was after cases were confirmed in the country.Hide Caption 50 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear face masks in New York’s Times Square on March 3. New York reported its first case of coronavirus two days earlier. Hide Caption 51 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A security guard stands on the Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo on March 3.Hide Caption 52 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks during a meeting with pharmaceutical executives and the White House coronavirus task force on March 2. Throughout the meeting, Trump was hyperfocused on pressing industry leaders in the room for a timeline for a coronavirus vaccine and treatment. But experts at the table — from the administration and the pharmaceutical industry — repeatedly emphasized that a vaccine can’t be rushed to market before it’s been declared safe for the public.Hide Caption 53 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff stand outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 1.Hide Caption 54 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Healthcare workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, on March 1. The long-term care facility is linked to confirmed coronavirus cases.Hide Caption 55 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a London laboratory of the Public Health England National Infection Service.Hide Caption 56 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Tomoyuki Sugano, a professional baseball player on the Yomiuri Giants, throws a pitch in an empty Tokyo Dome during a preseason game on February 29. Fans have been barred from preseason games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Hide Caption 57 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Commuters wearing masks make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo on February 28.Hide Caption 58 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient within the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 28. Hide Caption 59 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Inter Milan plays Ludogorets in an empty soccer stadium in Milan, Italy, on February 27. The match was ordered to be played behind closed doors as Italian authorities continue to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.Hide Caption 60 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A bank clerk disinfects banknotes in China’s Sichuan province on February 26.Hide Caption 61 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A child wearing a protective face mask rides on a scooter in an empty area in Beijing.Hide Caption 62 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Catholic devotee wears a face mask as he is sprinkled with ash during Ash Wednesday services in Paranaque, Philippines, on February 26.Hide Caption 63 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People disinfect Qom’s Masumeh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on February 25.Hide Caption 64 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker in Daegu stacks plastic buckets containing medical waste from coronavirus patients on February 24.Hide Caption 65 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Paramedics carry a stretcher off an ambulance in Hong Kong on February 23.Hide Caption 66 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People attend a professional soccer match in Kobe, Japan, on February 23. To help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the soccer club Vissel Kobe told fans not to sing, chant or wave flags in the season opener against Yokohama FC.Hide Caption 67 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A team of volunteers disinfects a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok, Thailand.Hide Caption 68 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man rides his bike in Beijing on February 23.Hide Caption 69 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hospital personnel in Codogno, Italy, carry new beds inside the hospital on February 21. The hospital is hosting some people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.Hide Caption 70 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Doctors look at a CT scan of a lung at a hospital in Xiaogan, China, on February 20.Hide Caption 71 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A sales clerk wears a mask as she waits for customers at a hat shop in Beijing on February 18. Small companies that help drive China’s economy are worried about how much damage the coronavirus outbreak will cause to business.Hide Caption 72 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Buses carrying American passengers arrive at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo on February 17. The passengers were leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship to be repatriated to the United States.Hide Caption 73 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A medical worker rests at the isolation ward of the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 16.Hide Caption 74 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Authorities watch as the Westerdam cruise ship approaches a port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 13. Despite having no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, the Westerdam was refused port by four other Asian countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia.Hide Caption 75 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker has his temperature checked on a shuttered commercial street in Beijing on February 12.Hide Caption 76 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Beds are made in the Wuhan Sports Center, which has been converted into a temporary hospital.Hide Caption 77 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A child rides a scooter past a police officer wearing protective gear outside the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11. More than 100 people evacuated the housing block after four residents in two different apartments tested positive for the coronavirus.Hide Caption 78 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Relatives of quarantined passengers wave at the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it leaves a port in Yokohama, Japan, to dump wastewater and generate potable water. Dozens of people on the ship were infected with coronavirus.Hide Caption 79 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Deneway branch of the County Oak Medical Centre is closed amid coronavirus fears in Brighton, England, on February 11. Several locations in and around Brighton were quarantined after a man linked to several coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom came into contact with health-care workers and members of the public.Hide Caption 80 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer, left, wears protective gear as he guards a cordon at the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11.Hide Caption 81 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker wears a protective suit as he waits to screen people entering an office building in Beijing on February 10. China’s workforce is slowly coming back to work after the coronavirus outbreak forced many parts of the country to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by more than a week.Hide Caption 82 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Chinese President Xi Jinping has his temperature checked during an appearance in Beijing on February 10.Hide Caption 83 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Photojournalists wearing face masks take photos of a bus carrying passengers after they disembarked from the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong on February 9. More than 5,300 people were quarantined on two cruise ships off Hong Kong and Japan.Hide Caption 84 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People participating in a Lunar New Year Parade in New York City hold signs reading, “Wuhan stay strong!” on February 9.Hide Caption 85 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A shopper walks past empty shelves at a grocery store in Hong Kong on February 9. China’s Ministry of Commerce encouraged supermarkets and grocery stores to resume operations as the country’s voluntary or mandatory quarantines began to take an economic toll. Hide Caption 86 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker wearing a protective suit uses a machine to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai, China, on February 9.Hide Caption 87 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers in protective gear walk near the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama on February 7.Hide Caption 88 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Hong Kong attend a vigil February 7 for whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. Li, 34, died in Wuhan after contracting the virus while treating a patient.Hide Caption 89 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman grieves while paying tribute to Li at Li’s hospital in Wuhan on February 7.Hide Caption 90 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship is seen docked at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on February 7. Passengers were to be screened for coronavirus as a precaution, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN.Hide Caption 91 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A light installation is displayed by striking members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance and other activists at the Hospital Authority building in Hong Kong on February 7.Hide Caption 92 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers are seen on the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at the Yokohama Port on February 7.Hide Caption 93 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Flight attendants wearing face masks make their way through Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on February 7.Hide Caption 94 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers check sterile medical gloves at a latex-product manufacturer in Nanjing, China, on February 6.Hide Caption 95 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a Beijing market on February 6.Hide Caption 96 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak This aerial photo shows the Leishenshan Hospital that is being built in Wuhan to handle coronavirus patients.Hide Caption 97 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A passenger shows a note from the World Dream cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on February 5.Hide Caption 98 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A mask is seen on a statue in Beijing on February 5.Hide Caption 99 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak An ambulance stops at a traffic light in front of the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macao. The virus turned China’s gambling mecca into a ghost town.Hide Caption 100 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A dog in Beijing wears a makeshift mask constructed from a paper cup.Hide Caption 101 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Striking hospital workers in Hong Kong demand the closure of the border with mainland China on February 4.Hide Caption 102 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4. It arrived a day earlier with passengers feeling ill.Hide Caption 103 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A medical worker wearing protective gear waits to take the temperature of people entering Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on February 4.Hide Caption 104 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical workers in protective suits help transfer patients to a newly completed field hospital in Wuhan.Hide Caption 105 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wearing protective overalls talk outside a Wuhan hotel housing people in isolation on February 3.Hide Caption 106 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man stands in front of TV screens broadcasting a speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on February 3. Lam said the city would shut almost all border-control points to the mainland.Hide Caption 107 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A colleague sprays disinfectant on a doctor in Wuhan on February 3.Hide Caption 108 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Commuters in Tokyo walk past an electric board displaying dismal stock prices on February 3, the first business day after the Chinese New Year. Asia’s markets recorded their worst day in years as investors finally got a chance to react to the worsening coronavirus outbreak.Hide Caption 109 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical workers move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People’s Hospital in Fuyang, China, on February 1.Hide Caption 110 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift masks while waiting to check in to a flight at the Beijing Capital Airport on January 30.Hide Caption 111 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers in Hong Kong wear protective masks as they wait to board a train at Lo Wu Station, near the mainland border, on January 30. Hide Caption 112 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A volunteer wearing protective clothing disinfects a street in Qingdao, China, on January 29.Hide Caption 113 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Nanning residents line up to buy face masks from a medical appliance store on January 29.Hide Caption 114 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Lyu Jun, left, a member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan, says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi, China, on January 28.Hide Caption 115 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A charter flight from Wuhan arrives at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 28. The US government chartered the plane to bring home US citizens and diplomats from the American consulate in Wuhan.Hide Caption 116 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak South Korean President Moon Jae-in wears a mask to inspect the National Medical Center in Seoul on January 28.Hide Caption 117 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, center, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on January 28. Lam said China will stop individual travelers to Hong Kong while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland.Hide Caption 118 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers at an airport in Novosibirsk, Russia, check the temperatures of passengers who arrived from Beijing on January 28.Hide Caption 119 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Alex Azar, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks during a news conference about the American public-health response.Hide Caption 120 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Two residents walk in an empty park in Wuhan on January 27. The city remained on lockdown for a fourth day.Hide Caption 121 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A person wears a protective mask, goggles and coat as he stands in a nearly empty street in Beijing on January 26.Hide Caption 122 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff members bring a patient to the Wuhan Red Cross hospital on January 25.Hide Caption 123 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear protective masks as they walk under Lunar New Year decorations in Beijing on January 25.Hide Caption 124 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Construction workers in Wuhan begin to work on a special hospital to deal with the outbreak on January 24.Hide Caption 125 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks to reporters on January 24 about a patient in Chicago who had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The patient was the second in the United States to be diagnosed with the illness. Hide Caption 126 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A couple kisses goodbye as they travel for the Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing on January 24.Hide Caption 127 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers manufacture protective face masks at a factory in China’s Hubei Province on January 23.Hide Caption 128 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Shoppers wear masks in a Wuhan market on January 23.Hide Caption 129 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers are checked by a thermography device at an airport in Osaka, Japan, on January 23.Hide Caption 130 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear masks while shopping for vegetables in Wuhan on January 23.Hide Caption 131 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A militia member checks the body temperature of a driver in Wuhan on January 23.Hide Caption 132 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wear masks as they arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on January 23.Hide Caption 133 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A customer holds boxes of particulate respirators at a pharmacy in Hong Kong on January 23.Hide Caption 134 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wear masks at the high-speed train station in Hong Kong on January 23.Hide Caption 135 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman rides an electric bicycle in Wuhan on January 22.Hide Caption 136 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Guangzhou, China, wear protective masks on January 22.Hide Caption 137 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People go through a checkpoint in Guangzhou on January 22.Hide Caption 138 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff of Wuhan’s Union Hospital attend a gathering on January 22.Hide Caption 139 of 140
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health officials hold a news conference in Beijing on January 22.Hide Caption 140 of 140
Acting quickly
Countries that enacted early detection measures for the coronavirus, quickly allocated medical resources and issued social distancing measures, have fared better than countries that were slower to respond. South Korea, for example, has one of the worst outbreaks outside of China but it moved fast to conduct widespread testing, and in recent weeks its caseloads have stabilized. There are concerns that other countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, have been slow to act. A recent study by UK epidemiologists predicts that attempts to slow — rather than actively halt, or suppress — the novel coronavirus could overwhelm the number of intensive care hospital beds available and lead to about 250,000 deaths in the UK and more than one million in the US. That lesson of preparedness applies to the climate crisis.Countries need to act quickly to mitigate against future worst-case climate scenarios, rather than waiting for the disaster to peak before acting.They can do this by reducing emissions, developing green technology and implementing effective climate policies. We know what must be done — both to stop the spread of coronavirus and to fight climate change — but many countries that produce the most heat-trapping gases are waiting until it is too late.Just as in some places, people have been slow to adopt the social distancing doctors are advising to fight the spread of the virus, not enough countries, especially those that produce the most heat-trapping gases, are taking significant action to slash emissions.
We have the tools
One of the unintended consequences of the drastic measures enforced by China during the coronavirus outbreak was a sharp drop in emissions.China’s air pollutant levels fell by about 20-30% in February as a result of the restrictions on industry and traffic, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
Nitrogen dioxide over #China has dropped with the coronavirus quarantine, Chinese New Year, and a related economic slowdown. https://t.co/URfLNy0GZJ #NASA #COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/PM60uL772K
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) March 4, 2020
Italy, which has the largest outbreak outside of China and has enacted widespread shutdowns, has also seen a big decline in air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide emissions, according to the European Space Agency. Travel bans have grounded flights and removed the ability to travel — a big contributor to heat-trapping emissions. And working from home experiments are showing that not everyone needs to travel to the office. Most agree, however, that suddenly closing all factories and banning cars from roads is not a sustainable way to tackle climate change. Governments have expressed concerns about the impact of closures and restrictions of movement on their economies, and on Tuesday, credit-rating agency S&P Global said that the virus has plunged the world into a global recession. But climate scientists say that adapting to climate change does not require radical shutdowns — the technology needed to reduce emissions already exists. Renewable energy sources are a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels, and making the switch makes economic sense. “It’s absolutely possible to completely transform our country and world economies in a way that’s sustainable, in a way that would mitigate the risk,” Green said.
Getting political
So if we have the tools, what’s stopping action?Scientists say politics plays a bit part in decision making.Since President Donald Trump came to power in 2016, for example, his administration has halted climate regulations designed to limit global warming. He’s promised to leave the landmark Paris climate accord, relaxed restrictions on power plant emissions, weakened fuel economy standards for the auto industry, and opened large swaths of protected land up for mining and oil and gas development.His administration has scrubbed references to climate change, renewable energy and similar topics on websites across the federal government. There is also a powerful fossil fuel lobby in the US.This ignorance or denial of the science is hampering the response to both the climate crisis and coronavirus.In the US, Trump and officials in his administration have been at odds with what health experts are saying about the virus. Trump claimed the coronavirus death rate is lower than 3.4% based on a “hunch,” undermining the World Health Organization’s figures. He said that the number of coronavirus cases in the US would “going very substantially down, not up,” when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said to expect more cases. And the President was contradicted by a health expert when he said a vaccine would be ready within a few months — in reality, a vaccine could take a year or longer to develop. “If the President can say something that’s contrary to what the government’s top scientists are saying, that’s a really difficult and dangerous predicament,” said Our Daily Planet’s Korenha. “The real danger here is that people stop trusting information [from] government scientists.”The need for government transparency and readily available public information is vital in stopping the coronavirus from overrunning countries.The media also plays a big part in making sure the public gets the information it needs in a way that’s easy to understand. The coronavirus pandemic has taken over the 24-hour news cycle, with broadcast media running almost non-stop coverage in many countries. Viewers and readers are hungry for up-to-date coronavirus information to make informed decisions about their lives. The demand for climate change information, however, hasn’t been as urgent and big climate headlines have not garnered similar rolling coverage. A study by Media Matters found that the major US broadcast networks aired just 238 minutes of climate coverage last year, making up only 0.7% of overall output.”If climate even got one tenth of (coronavirus) coverage, how that might change public perception, how people might realize that this is a threat to them?” Korenha said.
Pivoting to the future
Coronavirus has been a stress test for countries around the world, that has put devastating strains on economies and health systems. Airlines are losing billions of dollars, thousands could lose their jobs, a global recession is around the corner and social isolation is upending daily life. But this won’t last forever. The emergency measures are short term — until outbreaks are managed or a vaccine is developed. The fight against the climate crisis is a long-term problem that requires completely rethinking many of our industries and ways of life. But the not responding will lead to a far worse alternative.Climate crisis will seriously disrupt economies, reduce food security and place greater strain on health services, as a warmer world means more disease, famine, deaths from natural disasters and pollution, as well as mental health problems.
Coronavirus has shown that in order to avert the worst impacts of a global crisis, world leaders need to come together to make bold change. That means enacting policies, investing in innovative green technology, switching to clean energy and getting the public to change their daily habits. The world has been given a trial run in global crisis management. It shouldn’t waste it.
Source: edition.cnn.com
