Climate Change and COVID-19: Engaging with Existential Crises

By Erin McCann and Alicia Coble

While we preoccupy ourselves with the difficulties of living in quarantine and the chaos of daily life, it can be hard to digest the overwhelming amount of news that has been coming our way. This year marks the 50th celebration of Earth Day, yet it feels silly to shift our focus, even a fraction of it, to the gravity of climate change. 

Though the climate movement will undoubtedly be changed by the coronavirus crisis, not all of these changes hinder the movement. Countries that have taken bold steps to address the coronavirus pandemic have flattened their infection curves the fastest and had the lowest death rates. These countries’ actions can serve as the blueprints for government responses to both current and future natural disasters triggered by climate change. 

We have proven in the span of six months that the world can enact drastic policy when posed with an existential threat. What’s holding us back from doing the same for climate change? 

During this crisis, we are learning lessons about ourselves that are highly applicable to improving our response to climate change. The coronavirus tests the extent to which we are willing to listen to scientists’ predictions, even when the solutions they propose feel drastic and inconvenient. 

The virus also exposes deeply rooted inequalities in our society, similarly to the climate crisis. For instance, coronavirus tests are unaffordable for those who don’t have health insurance. People of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to suffer from coronavirus. Similarly, in the climate crisis, people who cannot afford treatment for respiratory illnesses caused by pollution suffer the full effects of those illnesses. In addition to this, with rising sea levels and increased frequency of extreme weather events, climate change becomes a matter of life and death for those living in poverty. 

While we may not realize it, we are all stewards of the environment. Eventually, we will all feel the effects of climate change. We all have had experiences in which the gravity of climate change has crossed our minds. This is certainly true for the two of us. Whether this moment occurred while looking out over a receding glacier or staring bewildered at a map that shows your home city underwater by 2040, we have all seen how climate change can take away the places we love. 

These moments scare but do not paralyze us; they instill in us a deep sense of hope. They drive us to do our part and recognize the unavoidable responsibility that we have to care for our planet and the people around us. 

 However, when faced with an issue like climate change, it becomes difficult to understand how we can begin to make an impact. We wonder whether biking instead of driving will even begin to make a dent in the carbon dioxide released into our atmosphere when people and goods are flown across the world every day in gas-guzzling planes. We wonder what the point of using a reusable water bottle is when billions of plastic ones are produced anyway. 

It is important to recognize that the ways of engaging with climate action are endless, and no action is unimportant. Not everyone is a scientist whose research is cited in a UN report or a lawyer who fights against big corporations in court. But this does not mean that our actions will not have an impact. We all have a place in the climate movement. The path towards effective engagement with the issue of climate change begins with recognizing what types of climate solutions you are passionate about, and working on those however you can. You could engineer sustainable materials or even plant a garden with your community to combat food shortages.

Though there are many different paths to climate action, one that all Exonians have access to is joining climate and sustainability clubs on campus. Additionally, joining local environmental groups and asking your local, state and federal representatives to implement strong, equitable climate legislation are great starting points. If you don’t have time to join a movement or lobby government officials, educate yourself about climate change and share what you learn with your family and friends. 

It has been proven time and time again that we can act globally to solve massive crises when the need arises. The coronavirus pandemic is proving to be one example, but there is another one more closely tied to the environment. In 1978, the United States government banned aerosol sprays containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a part of the Montreal Protocol that strived to protect the Earth’s ozone layer. In the decade that followed, an international treaty called The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer—designed to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals and thereby protect Earth’s ozone layer—was agreed upon by virtually all nations on Earth. The transition to modern aerosol cans was relatively easy. Scientists replaced the CFCs with other propellant gases, and customers did not notice a difference. It was not business as usual, and the world was better for it. Thanks to this change, the ozone layer is more stable. 

Climate legislation, unfortunately, has not seen the same success. Climate change is a highly complex issue, and effectively curbing our greenhouse gas emissions will require adjustments to the status quo much more dramatic than those involved in ozone legislation. If the precedent for cross-national unity in extenuating circumstances exists, countries can certainly come together again to effectively and equitably address climate change.