The current coronavirus pandemic is a warning “postcard from the future” that could provide an opportunity to rethink our relationship with the environment, a leading environmentalist and economist has said.
The “great upheaval” of coronavirus highlighted the dangers of climate change but could shift thinking about ways to tackle it, Andrew Simms told The National on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day,
“There are a number of echoes between the issues and the problems,” said Mr Simms, the co-author of the Green New Deal.
“When you have a pandemic, it reveals the ability of governments to respond at speed and scale and change their economic priorities in the economic interest.”
Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, grew in part out of US counterculture and protest movements of the 1960s. Since then it has grown into one of the largest secular celebrations in the world.
The school strike for climate movement, the extinction rebellion and the 2018 Special Report on Global Warming had driven the climate change up the political agenda in the last three years, said Mr Simms.
In 2018, the 17-year-old Greta Thunberg rose to prominence, giving the movement its most recognisable figurehead ever.
“If we go back just a few months that was the big debate, Greta Thunberg was on every front page and being welcomed by heads of state around the world,” Mr Simms explained. “Earth Day has been the steady ring of the bell in the background that has been trying to muster interest over a long time.”
While the coronavirus may have pushed the environment from the headlines, it has not erased climate change from people’s minds.
As the skies clear of pollution and our urban centres become less congested as a result of social distancing measures, Mr Simms said new ways of living have become more obvious.
“People have been finding they can cook for themselves more at home, they are making more of their own entertainment and, as a consequence, probably living lower impact lives,” he said. “It has allowed people to do a double take and hit the reset button.”
The direct relationship between health and the environment has also been highlighted by the pandemic as links are revealed between pollution and coronavirus and the raised risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans as ecosystems are destroyed.
“The climate emergency, climate change and the increase of vector borne diseases are hardwired,” said Mr Simms, who is also coordinator of the Rapid Transition Alliance of experts pushing for radical changes to head off climate disaster.
“So you can see there if we clean up the environment we are also acting on public health.”
Throughout history huge shifts have occurred in society precipitated by unforeseen events. In the last 50 years the world adapted to the Opec crisis, the end of the Cold War and the financial crash.
“The [crisis] we are living through at the moment in terms of its suddenness and comprehensiveness certainly does stand out,” Mr Simms said. “The timing of it means people are hopefully going to be looking to take lessons from this great upheaval.”
Mr Simms said public consensus had shifted despite some opposition from voices calling for the economy to reopen at the expense of public health.
The inaction of some governments in the face of the warnings about coronavirus pandemic also has troubling parallels with the sluggish response to climate change over the last 50 years, said Mr Simms.
“There has been a massive shift of awareness. I would argue that it’s a pretty broad consensus that public health and wellbeing comes before short term economic interest,” he explained.
“There will be voices that argue for an aggressive return to business as usual. I think there are more voices than there have ever been before arguing that this is an opportunity to do things differently.”
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
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Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
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Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
