The mantra goes that you should never let a good crisis go to waste.
The UK has been in the throes of a pandemic for most of 2020, leading to unprecedented changes to society. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating and regrettable impact on individuals, families, and communities and this cannot be overlooked. In an effort to mitigate the worst impacts of the pandemic, the UK finds itself in an lockdown that has not been seen before. Our personal and professional lives have been significantly altered through working from home and social distancing.
For the foreseeable future it appears as if life will continue under a revised set of societal norms. The salient question therefore appears to be, can we turn a negative into a positive? Can we find a way to ensure that this crisis doesn’t go to waste? Can we learn from this crisis to mitigate the impacts of a future crisis? Can we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic as a stronger, more resilient and greener society than we were before the pandemic?
The UK and the World are facing a climate and ecological crisis. These crises are caused, to a significant extent, by our societal and economic activity. Therefore, to mitigate the worst of these crises, adjusting and reorienting our business practices is key. The Covid-19 pandemic has put life on pause and presents a once in a generation opportunity to ingrain significant change in the way we conduct our business and personal lives. The lockdown has enforced temporary changes on our lives. These enforced changes have had a measured beneficial environmental impact. Our response to the current crisis is therefore, mitigating the worst of a future crisis. If we are to ensure that this crisis doesn’t go to waste, then we need to convert enforced temporary changes into optional ingrained behaviours.
The UK Government is preparing a Covid-19 recovery package, to reinvigorate the economy as we emerge from the Covid crisis. A study found that 79% of Britons considered that the Covid-19 economic recovery package should concurrently encourage a green recovery. There is clearly public recognition that this opportunity to green our economy cannot be missed. Business are also supportive, with over 100 business petitioning the government to include sustainability measures in the recovery package. There is a clear mandate from individuals, businesses and government to emerge from the current crisis in a sustainable manner. The recovery presents an unprecedented opportunity for sustainable development and it is imperative that this opportunity is capitalised upon.
