Covid-19

Photo: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2020.

Holding the British Government accountable to the climate crisis promises after COVID-19

written by Masha Trosheva

While the world has been dealing with the more immediate issue of the coronavirus pandemic, the global climate emergency continues to pose a threat to the environment we live in. Just last summer, Cambridge reached the highest temperature recorded in the UK at 38.7°C. This is more than a degree higher than the 1990 record set in Cheltenham of 37.1°C. The summer of 2020 has also seen extreme weather patterns. As we continue to see the catastrophic effects of climate change on the planet, the changes seen in lockdown have presented the possibility of keeping road and industry pollution lower than seen in previous years.

During the peak of the pandemic and the early stages of lockdown in the spring, global carbon dioxide emissions dropped significantly. Compared with the average levels in 2019, this period presented a 17% decrease in CO2 emissions. A decrease in transport use accounted for approximately half of this. These figures appear promising and if maintained would pose a considerably smaller impact on the climate. However, this is not a proactive solution to tackling climate change and does not reverse any of the previous damage done.

As people return to workspaces and children return to schools in September, carbon dioxide emissions are likely to soar once again to 2019 levels. Transport emissions may increase to even higher rates than those seen before the pandemic, as people see public transport as a risk from the virus and opt for private alternatives, such as cars, minimising contact with strangers. As well as this, the shutting down of manufacturing plants across the globe at the peak of the pandemic helped facilitate the decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, but this trend will not last long as production recommences and attempts to make up for lost time and profit.

For deep routed change to occur, many climate activists believe that there must be governmental policy changes and direct action to make considerable progress. The UK government has made several promises to do so over the years and in May of 2019 it declared a state of climate emergency. By doing so it finally recognised the devastating effects that global warming has created and acknowledged the lack of action previously taken to fight this pressing issue. The government also committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to keep on track with the 2016 Paris Agreement, which set to keep global warming below the 2°C threshold, compared to 1990 levels. But, will the coronavirus crisis distract the government from fulfilling these promises?

The Committee on Climate Change urges the government to tackle the economic and climate crises simultaneously by creating jobs in environmental sectors such as tree planting, peatland restoration and green infrastructure. This would provide a long-term solution, as well as improving residents’ quality of life. Creating a circular economy with improved recycling infrastruc-

ture would also create more jobs and help us reach the net-zero carbon goal while reducing cost spent on sourcing raw materials. Close to 750,000 jobs have been lost in the UK due to industry shutting down since March. However, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), roughly nine million jobs a year can be saved globally in sectors such as the construction of energy-efficient buildings and low-carbon transport infrastructure. Octopus Energy, for example, supplies electricity to homes and businesses sourced from 100% renewable energy and supports the Brighton-based charity, Renewable World. Many other companies in both public and private sectors are expanding in this field. To do this effectively, funding innovation and research projects will be fundamental.

An estimated extra £14bn is needed each year to help the UK meet its climate commitments, according to the UK charity Green Alliance. And yet, when we look at the 2020/21 national budget plan, this is not accounted for. What is accounted for is a sum of £28bn to be spent on roads across the UK. Not only will this directly contribute to higher carbon dioxide levels in the form of building these roads, but it will also indirectly cause more pollution by incentivising the use of private transport. It appears that government regulations are not reliable enough to produce a significant impact in solving the climate crisis. More than two years after the start of school strikes and the iconic ‘Fridays for Future’ started by Greta Thunberg, no real actions have been taken at a government level in either the UK or Europe, which together have contributed to 22% of all global carbon emissions as of 2020. In the UK, municipal governments, such as the City of London, have taken the situation into their own hands and have come up with many strategies to deal with climate change at a more local level. In 2018, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan developed a comprehensive plan which aimed to transform half of London public spaces into green zones and ensure that London buses are carbon-free by 2037.

However, these plans are dependent on wider economic and political support. Only by exerting constant pressure on the UK government on a wider societal level will it be possible to achieve the targets set by the government to tackle the climate crisis. The Covid-19 crisis offers new possibilities to do this, by allowing policymakers and citizens to envision economic and political reforms that take into account the impact humans have on the environment. Here is to hoping that this vast health-crisis will inspire vast reforms to tackle climate change.

Climate Change - before and after covid?

Travel in the UK has dropped by 73% during lockdown in March, the lowest since 1955.

Youth unemployment for U30s has tripled to 18%. Which is, the highest level since the Mid-80s. Young People and over 65s are the worst affected by unemployment. Co2 Pollution has dropped 1/3 to almost half in the UK because of lockdown. Since 2010 the UK has dangerous high levels of No2 according to the WHO.

Estimated 14 billion pounds are needed each year to help the UK meet its climate pledges. However, in 2020 these were not even included in the budget.