Saving People from Coronavirus Can Teach Us How to Do the Same for Climate Change

Amid the terrible news about the spreading coronavirus epidemic, a scintillating fact has emerged that can energize the environmental movement: The global slowdown in human activity has given Mother Nature a much-needed breath of fresh air. Between travel restrictions, reductions in public transport and overall economic activity that generates emissions鈥攕uch as coal burning, refining oil and producing steel鈥攖he climate is getting the kind of rest from destructive human activity it hasn鈥檛 gotten since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

The lockdown in China (the world鈥檚 biggest emitter of greenhouse gases), for example, has cut the nation鈥檚 carbon dioxide emissions by 100 million metric tons in just two weeks, according to an by Carbon Brief, a UK-based climate policy watchdog. That鈥檚 down a quarter from the same two-week period in 2019. Observations made by NASA and European Space Agency pollution monitoring satellites appear to confirm the analysis. They show a 鈥攁n air pollutant emitted by power plants, factories, and vehicles鈥攐ver China during mid-February when the nation entered a quarantine.

鈥淭his is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event,鈥� , an air quality researcher at NASA鈥檚 Goddard Space Flight Center.

While these are significant and sudden reductions achieved over a remarkably brief period of time, they are temporary. The long-term effects on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and other atmospheric pollutants are unclear. On one hand, Chinese authorities may try to boost production after the pandemic is over to try to make up for the lost time. On the other hand, the economic impact of the pandemic may for months or even years to come.

While a global pandemic can instigate a break in human activity, the climate crisis hasn鈥檛 been able to make a dent in it. Why is that?

鈥淎ny sustained impact on fossil-fuel use would come from reduced demand, which initial indicators suggest could have a major impact. For example, February car sales are forecast to fall by 30% below last year鈥檚 already depressed levels,鈥� Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 鈥淚f consumer demand is reduced鈥攆or example, due to unpaid wages during the crisis cascading through the rest of the economy鈥攖hen industrial output and fossil-fuel use might not recover, even though capacity is available to do so.鈥�

Still, the findings offer climate activists a tantalizing fact: It is technically feasible to achieve big reductions in pollutants that are fueling the climate crisis. All that鈥檚 required is a break in economic production and human activity. But while a global pandemic can instigate a break in human activity, the climate crisis hasn鈥檛 been able to make a dent in it. Why is that?

For one thing, the coronavirus pandemic has a clear killer: a microorganism. And the global death toll is rising by the hour as the virus jumps from person to person. The climate crisis, on the other hand, doesn鈥檛 have a distinct killer. Countless deaths have been tied to all the human activity that is the cause of the climate crisis: heat waves, hurricanes, droughts, and yes, even diseases such as Lyme disease, the normal range of which has . And, of course, the invisible killer is not a microorganism: Air pollution is caused by a number of toxic chemicals, some of which are greenhouse gases that are heating up the planet. But the fatalities associated with climate impacts are many steps removed from the actual causes, which are simply a matter of degree: too many cars and trucks on the roads, too many planes in the sky, too many bulldozers clearing rainforests, too many factories, air conditioners, large-screen televisions, mansions. Ultimately, too many people consuming too many things.

Let鈥檚 say COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, ends up killing 7 million people this year. That figure would probably shock most people. But that is the same 鈥攅very single year. As Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, , 鈥淏lack carbon, methane, and nitrogen oxides are powerful drivers of global warming, and, along with other air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and ozone, they are responsible for over , about one in eight worldwide.鈥�

And that鈥檚 just air pollution. Heat exposure, coastal flooding and diseases such as malaria and dengue鈥攁ll increased by climate change鈥攃ould cause about , according to the World Health Organization. A study led by Oxford University that by 2050, climate-related reductions in food availability (primarily fruits and vegetables) will cause an additional 529,000 adult deaths worldwide.

Sadly, no one knows these statistics, because鈥攖ragically for all the people who might be saved, and for the planet鈥攖he mainstream news media barely covers the climate. The figures are shocking. Major network news programs devoted barely four hours to the climate crisis over the entirety of 2019, according to a recent by Media Matters. That amounts to a paltry 0.7% of overall evening broadcasts and the Sunday morning news shows.

Clearly, we cannot rely on the media. And we can鈥檛 rely on world leaders, either. According to a recent report by a panel of world-class scientists, 鈥�,鈥� the majority of the carbon emission reduction pledges for 2030 that 184 countries made under the international accord aren鈥檛 nearly enough to prevent global warming from exceeding 2掳 Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The authors further note that some nations won鈥檛 even meet their pledges, and some of the biggest polluters will even increase their emissions.

It鈥檚 up to you and me, and every single individual who wants a healthy planet for ourselves, our children and future generations. And environmental activists should use this moment in history to help people understand that we can, we should, and we must make changes to our behavior, our lifestyles, and our consumption habits.

Across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic has changed daily human life in ways small (like the length of time we wash our hands) and big (like how we work and play). It also demonstrates one salient fact: Our everyday activities affect so many things鈥攏ot just our own personal health, but the health of our local communities and even the entire planet. Coronavirus is a killer, but it can also be a teacher. Let鈥檚 learn all of its lessons.

This article was produced by聽, a project of the . It has been published here with permission.

Reynard Loki is a senior writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent for Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute. His work has been published by Truthout, Salon, BillMoyers.com, EcoWatch and Truthdig, among others.