Vol. 5 No. 1 (2020)
Comment

Humanity’s environmental problems can only be fixed by changing the system. The coronavirus offers a chance.

Graeme Maxton
Bio
This image of the cover of this issue of The Journal of Population and Sustainability has the title in block letters on a grey-green background.

Published 2020-12-01

Keywords

  • COVID-19 pandemic,
  • alternative economic systems,
  • climate change,
  • population growth,
  • reforming democracy

How to Cite

Maxton, Graeme. 2020. “ The Coronavirus Offers a Chance”. The Journal of Population and Sustainability 5 (1):47–55. https://doi.org/10.3197/jps.2020.5.1.47.

Abstract

Societies need to introduce much more radical emissions reductions targets than those agreed in Paris if they are to successfully slow the pace of change. Covid-19 makes this possible. By forcing aviation and other transportation businesses to downsize emissions have started to fall. By paying people to stay at home governments have shown that they can support them during a transition. Societies should grasp this unique chance for radical social and economic reform.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

  1. Bluewater, 2019.The global plastic calamity. [pdf] Stockholm: Bluewater and the Mirpuri Foundation. Available at: https://www.bluewatergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Bluewater-Hormones-White-Paper-Final-180219.pdf [Accessed 6 November 2020].
  2. Breakthrough, 2020. Climate Reality Check 2020. [online] Melbourne: Breakthrough -The National Centre for Climate Restoration. Available at: https://www.climaterealitycheck.net/ [Accessed 6 November 2020].
  3. Gibb, R., Redding, D.W., Chin, K.Q. et al., 2020. Zoonotic host diversity increases in human-dominated ecosystems. Nature 584, pp.398–402 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2562-8.
  4. Maxton, G. and Maxton-Lee, B., 2021. A chicken can’t lay a duck egg. Arlesford: Changemakers Books.
  5. Spratt, D. and Dunlop, I., 2017. Disaster alley: climate change, conflict and risk. Melbourne: Breakthrough – National Centre for Climate Restoration.
  6. UN, 2020. Report: Nature’s dangerous decline ‘unprecedented’; species extinction rates ‘accelerating’. [online] United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/ [Accessed 8 November 2020].
  7. UNEP, 2019. Emissions gap report 2019. [pdf] Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme. Available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30797/EGR2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [Accessed 8 November 2020].
  8. WHO, 2018a. 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, but more countries are taking action. [online] Geneva: World Health Organisation. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/02-05-2018-9-out-of-10-peopleworldwide-breathe-polluted-air-but-more-countries-are-taking-action [Accessed 6 November 2020].
  9. WHO, 2018b. The top 10 causes of death. [online] Geneva: World Health Organisation. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death [Accessed 9 November 2020].