Karin Bäckstrand Professora de Ciências Sociais do Ambiente, Stockholm University
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or my presentation, I will take on political science and international relations and go on to the climate crisis and its now nexus with the Covid-19 pandemic. How do we gather globally to a carbon-neutral society, to decarbonization and renewables? How do we do that and secure effectiveness and legitimacy among citizens? That is an important issue, especially in the times of nationalism and populism. How can governments secure democratic support for a far-reaching societal transformation to a fossil-free society? 2020 was supposed to be the super year for climate and environmental action: with the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow; with new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the states; with the EU Green Deal presented in December; and with a proposal for a new EU Climate Law, where the EU is going to be a carbon-free continent in 2050. All the things from 2019 were an acceleration towards this, such as the UN Climate Summit, in New York, where Greta Thunberg spoke with the new Commission. Everything was set up for the super year 2020. And then came Covid-19. I want to speak about the aspects of the nexus of Covid-19 and climate change. What is the impact for the international and
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Conferência de Lisboa – 4 _ 2020 Lisbon Conference – 4
Professor in Environmental Social Science, Stockholm University
multilateral EU framework of the Covid-19 crisis? That is the first topic I will discuss because it is imperative, in this double crisis that we have now — of the pandemic and climate change — that the multilateral EU framework and international collaboration are working. Secondly, what is the impact of Covid-19 on climate and air pollution? There is a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, and there is improved air pollution, but as many argue, and I will argue, these are just temporary reductions in emissions. As with the financial crisis in 2008, if we do not transform our transport systems and our lifestyles, we will be back on the same track again. Thirdly, and this is the million-dollar question: will Covid-19 accelerate climate transition and the renewable energy transition, or will it cause a carbon lock-in as jobs and the economy are receiving higher priority? I should say I see myself as an optimistic realist and I think Covid-19 is a window of opportunity, as Winston Churchill said, “never let a good crisis go to waste”. There are some positive signs, as we have transformed our lifestyles in a few months because of a deadly pandemic. Can we retain some of these transformations, such as the digitalization, regarding climate change? That is the key question. But first, the question of the consequences for global collaboration on the Covid-19 crisis. Both Covid-19 and climate are prime examples of global collective action problems that can only be handled in a global response by almost 200 states
A ACELERAÇÃO DAS MUDANÇAS GLOBAIS THE ACCELERATION OF GLOBAL CHANGE
