The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented decline in human carbon emissions. However, climate scientists have warned against celebration because of the danger that a rush to bring economic activity back to normal will further commit humanity to an unsustainable and high-risk future. If anything, the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of many countries to adverse shocks and their inability to adequately protect the health of their citizens.
This webinar will examine the connections between the health and climate crises and make the case for an integrated response. It will ask:
- How should states transform their public health and innovation systems to navigate out of the pandemic and increase global resilience to future health crises?
- What conditionalities are then needed in the economic response to ensure that it produces a more sustainable and health-focused economy?
- Can the pandemic serve as a trigger for a comprehensive shift to a new normal with different values, different lifestyles and a different societal paradigm?