Pandemic and climate crisis have plenty in common

Science-informed policies are key for improvement, writes

The SARS-COV-2 pandemic has exposed the catastrophic consequences of rejecting science or embracing pretend science.

Where leadership doesn't appreciate the power of nature and the value of science — as with Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Narendra Modi in India, and Donald Trump in the U.S. — populations have been ravaged by COVID-19. The consequences of governments too arrogant or too ignorant to listen to science have been catastrophic.

Governments that relied on science to inform policy decisions have fared better. To be sure, there have been policy missteps and problems with communication.

During the course of the pandemic, our scientific understanding of the virus has evolved at the same time as the pandemic itself has been changing.

In B.C., science has informed policy decisions tempered by other considerations, such as mental health and the economy.

We might not always agree that the best balance of values has been achieved (I don't), but for the most part, there has been humility, attention to data, and transparency, especially with respect to data. This science-informed approach has helped B.C. fare better than Ontario and Alberta, where Doug Ford and Jason Kenney have not given science its due respect.

Science isn't perfect, but it is the best tool we have for understanding objective reality.

While science alone shouldn't dictate policy — which invariably is also about values and priorities — good policy is informed by science. It is fundamental: objective reality (e.g. infectivity of a virus) will have its way, however much humans might wish to deny it.

The COVID -19 pandemic and the climate crisis have a lot in common. Both are governed by the laws of nature, not humanity. In each case, the evidence is overwhelming and there is strong consensus among scientists.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by an airborne virus.

Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels.

Both are global problems and both are collective problems. Individual action is important and can drive change, but science-informed policies and regulations are key to effective and sustained improvement in our circumstances.

We've learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that paying attention to fundamental causes works. Washing our hands, wearing masks and social distancing significantly reduces transmission of the virus. And we are starting to understand that technological fixes (vaccines) will only be effective if we continue to focus on the fundamental causes. If we relax our prevention behaviours too soon, we give the virus more opportunity to produce variants able to elude the vaccines.

We need respectful individual behaviours in concert with the rapid rollout of vaccines. If we manage to do this, we can look forward to a return to more normal social interactions, at least for a time. But until the pandemic is under control globally, any reprieve we experience will be tenuous.

Addressing the fundamental cause is similarly essential for dealing with climate change: We need to stop emitting greenhouse gases (net zero by 2050 is a deadly serious goal).

Whatever technology we develop to aid the transition to a post-carbon world, nothing is a substitute for transitioning off fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

In addition — not as an alternative — we need to develop carbon capture technology and preserve old-growth forests to assist with the drawdown of carbon dioxide.

We urgently need a diverse set of policies to support the transition to a post-carbon society by 2050.

We need leadership that is attentive to science and reason, including willingness to alter course as new information arises.

Science tells us sea level will rise and our climate will become increasingly unstable. To ignore these warnings is to court disaster.

However much we may prefer optimism, as we have seen with the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, objective reality always wins.