From Coronovirus to the Green New Deal: Navigating the Perilous Passage
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- Published on Sunday, 29 March 2020 23:26
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2036 ... March 30, 2020
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From Coronovirus to the Green New Deal: Navigating the Perilous Passage
Richard Sandbrook
When we have dealt with the coronavirus crisis, we need to address the climate emergency. We have learned a lot from handling the pandemic that will help in tackling climate change.
- It is critical to tackle the crisis early, based on the best scientific evidence. Indecisive political leadership pushes the crisis quickly out of control.
- The most vulnerable citizens are the first to die, so ethically we have a responsibility to move fast to protect those who suffer through no fault of their own.
- Social cooperation is critical in overcoming the crisis. Each person plays a part in limiting the common danger. We must all sacrifice cherished pursuits in the short run in order to save ourselves and societal order in the long run.
- Resolution of the crisis requires massive state activism, a willingness to do what is needed to stave off disaster, whether economic or health related. Emergency situations require mobilization of all resources.
- A crisis that is global in scope... requires a global organization, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide timely information and expert advice and coordinate a global response.
- In an emergency, a lot can be achieved quickly. For example, the sharp contraction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the shutdown and social distancing occasioned by the pandemic soon cleared the atmosphere in some of the most polluted cities on earth.