Tower and Town, June 2020 (view the full edition)Post Covid-19 Recovery For Our Planet And HealthAt the recent climate change conference, Dominic Raab said that, when the threat from coronavirus recedes, "it will be the duty of every responsible government to see that our economies are revived and rebuilt in a way that will stand the test of time... investing in industries and infrastructure that can turn the tide on climate change." The pandemic highlights the interdependence and vulnerability of many of our systems, and how the far greater climate and ecological crisis makes the threat of future pandemics more likely. Scientists are warning that our destruction of biodiversity is creating the conditions for new viruses and diseases. But there is some good news! Parliament's pension fund has made record investments in renewable energy and cut its exposure to fossil fuel companies to bring MPs' pensions in line with the government's climate action targets. New rules could end our "throwaway" culture with regulations applying to many everyday items - mobile phones, textiles, electronics, batteries and packaging - to ensure products are designed and manufactured so they last and are repairable. The government recently published an ambitious plan for revolutionising UK transport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions welcomed by The Campaign for Better Transport as being an unprecedented vision of modal shift with fewer car journeys, many more by bike and on foot. Even the President of the AA has said that "People travelling up and down motorways just to hold meetings is inefficient, expensive and not good for the environment." The number of new renewable energy projects applying for planning permission reached a 4-year high in the UK last year and the clean energy revolution is global. A mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in hours has been created by scientists. Originally discovered in a compost heap of leaves, it reduced the bottles to chemical building blocks then used to make high-quality new bottles. Scientists say there is now the knowledge to create an ocean renaissance for wildlife by 2050. A review in the journal "Nature" found that global fishing is slowly becoming more sustainable and the destruction of many habitats is almost at a halt, and in places they are being restored. As Greta Thunberg says: "If one virus can wipe out the entire economy in a matter of weeks and shut down societies, then that is a proof that our societies are not very resilient. It also shows that once we are in an emergency, we can act and we can change our behaviour quickly." Jo Ripley |