Empty or chaotic airports all over the world due to Covid-19 symbolize the dramatic actions being taken to address a clear and present danger to global health. But they could also be a harbinger of the radical collective decisions needed to tackle the climate crisis.
What do the coronavirus and the climate crisis have in common? They are both global emergencies that require significant/radical changes to our behaviour and a coordinated, collective response to meet the threat. The pandemic — while frightening and an immediate challenge to our lives and our way of life — is temporary and, like Ebola, we’ll find a vaccine. However, if we do not act quickly enough the impact of the climate crisis will be felt for decades and beyond.
A recent study by experts from six British universities outlines a series of dramatic actions — affecting everything from runways to roast beef — needed for the UK to reach Net Zero by 2050. The report, written prior to the emergence of Covid-19, recommends the closing of airports, electrification of all energy systems, expanded rail systems, no raw steel production and ceasing to eat beef and lamb.
Air travel is a symbol of our modern way of life, a significant contributor to GHG emissions and a cornerstone of our globalized, mobile, consumer culture.
The report called Absolute Zero, written by scientists from the group UK Fires and funded by the British government, maps out a detailed transition plan across 13 key sectors of the economy for Britain to achieve Net Zero by 2050. The most radical recommendation speaks to the scale of the climate crisis challenge — closing all but three airports in the UK in the next 10 years, after which all airports will close until electric planes with synthetic fuel systems are available, likely well after 2050.
Reading this report prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, one might think these changes are too radical and not practical given the lack of political will and the resulting policy paralysis on climate change. The report addresses this gridlock.
“Making progress on climate change requires that the three key groups of players -- government, businesses and individuals -- work together, rather than waiting for the other two to act first.”
The global response to the pandemic has shown that governments, business and consumers can act together to advance the common good in the face of a global threat. The response has been science-based, with a few notable exceptions, and policy makers have relied on experts and international cooperation.
The dramatic shutdown of air travel, sporting events, businesses, schools, universities and large gatherings demonstrates that, when faced with a significant threat, the kind of radical collective action recommended in the Absolute Zero report is not just pie in the sky. The pandemic shows that a radical response is not only necessary but doable. Crisis is a catalyst for action.
The question is: if Covid-19 can get us to act in the face of a clear and present danger, will this carry over to our response to the climate crisis? It is a clear and and present danger — although for many, not yet present enough — and a far larger, long term threat to our way of life than the pandemic.
The Absolute Zero report by UK Fires.
The Absolute Zero report makes the recent British court decision to hold up development of a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport look like tinkering at the edges. Apart from calling for the reduction and then cessation of air travel, it recommends the reengineering of every major part of the economy. This includes the production and use of core building materials like steel and cement, both of which have huge GHG emission footprints. By 2030, all steel needs to come from recycling and cement may be able to be recycled by using microwaves.
Regarding food, the report calls for cutting the consumption of beef and lamb by 50% in the next 10 years and stopping eating it altogether by 2030, because these ruminants produce methane, which has a 12-20 times more powerful impact on global heating than CO2.
Absolute Zero makes it clear there is significant opportunity in “the transition to growth compatible with zero emissions,” ranging from an increase in zero-emissions diets by eating plant based foods to the use and conversion of electricity for travel, heating and in industry.
Seem too radical? Not doable? Well, today, hundreds of millions of people are in lockdown. It shows what can be done when we are seized with the seriousness of a crisis and committed to taking radical action to address it.
While the pandemic needs to be the focus of global attention right now, it might also open the door to real progress on the climate crisis when its impact abates. Look how quickly it has changed our perspective and behaviour already based on a common threat and the need for action to protect the common good.