Weather this crisis but think of the climate too

The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the fragility of the world order. Governments have sought to limit the spread of the virus through lockdowns and travel restrictions, which have stalled economies and created a global recession. Poorer countries, lacking the resources and resilience to mitigate the pandemic, will be hit the hardest. Like climate change, Covid-19 will exacerbate global inequalities.

That parallel offers valuable lessons. The spread of Covid-19 will affect sections of society most vulnerable to climate change. Disadvantaged populations face higher health risks because of a lack of access to adequate water, sanitation, and health facilities. The poor, homeless, or displaced often lack the ability to self-isolate in the absence of suitable homes, job security, or a social safety net. In the US, death rates have been disproportionately high among African-Americans, a reflection of longstanding structural inequalities.

The effect of Covid-19 on food security also is similar to that of climate change. The livelihoods of small-scale farmers, pastoralists, and fishermen are adversely affected as well, while small and mediumsize enterprises may be forced into bankruptcy or closure, driving lowincome and middle-class citizens into poverty.

The ominous consequences don’t stop there. As with climate change, the pandemic’s destruction of livelihoods will reduce the opportunity costs of resorting to violence or may even create economic incentives to join armed groups, heightening the risk of conflict. The potential for violence is especially high in fragile political systems, within communities that have a history of conflict.

As with climate change, political elites aiming to mobilise support or conceal shortcomings can manipulate the crisis by scapegoating, which may cause more severe forms of violence.

The Covid-19 pandemic has confronted the world with a test that it seems to be failing. Cooperation and

As with climate change, political elites aiming to mobilise support or conceal shortcomings can manipulate the crisis by scapegoating

inclusive approaches to addressing the multifaceted consequences of the crisis have been lacking. Policymakers cannot focus only on containing the pandemic, but must also invest in the future.

There may be a reset button for the post-pandemic global economy, but there is none for the planet on which it depends.