The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, pushing the global economy into frenzy.
As industrial production slows down and planes are grounded, the bust towards the global economy is seeing global emissions fall. But the pollution respite for the planet could be short-lived.
Writing in Climate Home News, Andrew Norton, director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) warned that “what counts when it comes to meaningful action to deal with the climate crisis is long-term structural change”.
“If handled badly,” he warns, “the pandemic could suck the power from public action and public policy as prosperity declines”.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said the outbreak could spell a slowdown within the clean energy transition if governments neglect to use green investments to bolster economic growth.
While immediate resources and attention to tackle the virus are essential, the pandemic will put governments’ focus on climate action to the test.
Postponed
The virus’ effect on the global climate and biodiversity agenda this year is already being felt, with a host of meetings being cancelled or postponed.
UN Global warming has announced it won't hold any physical meetings 'till the end of April and Africa Climate Week continues to be postponed.
International negotiations with an ocean treaty to produce marine protected areas in the high seas happen to be postponed – potentially giving countries additional time to interrupt the talks' deadlock.
And working in london, the International Maritime Organisation has delay key talks on reducing shipping emissions.
The delays are putting increasing pressure on an already tight timetable ahead of a major biodiversity summit in China in October and the UN climate talks in Glasgow in November, as meetings risk being pushed back into the other half of the season.
The pandemic may have made the steep climb the planet faces to ramp up climate ambition ahead of Cop26 steeper still.
Testing Paris
And while expectations for Cop26 are accumulating, the law for countries to ratchet-up their climate plans this year need attention.
Alister Doyle has had a close consider the decision texts spelling out what countries have to do this season.
In Ethiopia’s capital, a significant project to wash up Addis Ababa’s riversides has opened opportunities to boost the city’s green development.
But as Dagim Terefe discovered, the $900 million plan has a heavy human cost, with individuals being displaced as well as their shelters demolished, at times “without warning”, to provide way to the development. Read his report here.
Rebound
In Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) council is meeting to determine which carbon offset schemes airlines will be able to use to offset their emissions from January 2023.
Under UN plans, Icao members have decided to make all growth in international flights after 2023 carbon neutral in contrast to set up a baseline of average emissions for 2023 and 2023. With flights grounded because of the virus, that average will probably drop.
If traffic rebounds in coming years, growth in the baseline will be larger than previously expected, forcing airlines to do more to offset their emissions growth.
Campaigners have expressed concerns Icao could come under pressure to reduce airlines’ financial hardship. Someone to watch.
This week's top stories
- Coronavirus may toughen airlines' goals for curbing emissions in 2023s
- Addis Ababa riverside project gives priority to development over residents
- Coronavirus: IMO postpones key meeting on reducing shipping emissions
- Will governments pass the very first test of the Paris climate agreement in 2023?
- Coronavirus: UN delays talks on global ocean biodiversity treaty
- Coronavirus delays global efforts for climate and biodiversity action
And in climate conversations
- Coronavirus and climate change are a couple of crises that require humanity to unite
- An ambitious year for climate is a large year for women's empowerment
- Power structures over gender make women more vulnerable to climate change
