The Covid-19 pandemic has created many ‘new normals’, and left many wishing we could ‘return to normal’. But for many, normal wasn’t working, and for the environment, our normal is becoming catastrophic. This pandemic is an opportunity to change what normal and initiate a structural overhaul of the economy and environmental policy. As Rahm Emanuel said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste … an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before” . Covid-19 is likely the most serious crisis we will see for a number of lifetimes, both for health and the economy, so what things can we do, and how can we do them?
In the lead up to the last election, Labour began to take radical steps in its environmental policy programme and began to talk about a green new deal for the UK. In June 2019, John McDonnell spoke about investing in a “green industrial revolution” by investigating how the financial sector is investing in the fossil fuels industry and other industries that cause environmental harm, and encouraging divestment from those industries. In September 2019, Ed Miliband called for wartime effort to react to the climate emergency. While stopping short of calling for a set date for a net zero carbon output for the UK, he spoke of a desire for radicalism in the party and the need for the first five years of a Labour government to not act conservatively on the issue.
Before this crisis, there was already mainstream political will for overwhelming change, it is imperative that this is now seized upon to push for even greater changes. The UK Green New Deal pressure group has a list of demands for radically green future, this list will provide the basis of the proposals presented here. These demands include investing in green jobs producing renewable energy, affordable energy and travel, better recognition of vital community work and low-carbon jobs, more union and worker representation in workplaces, and a localisation of markets and profits.
Lockdowns and home-working in many nations across the world has seen a downturn in energy usage worldwide. As a result, energy suppliers are buying cheaper energy which is more and more coming from renewable sources. This has led to experts saying that the world may finally be moving away from it’s reliance on coal. The lower price of renewables combined with pressure for industries to become more climate aware has likely struck a death-knell for coal, this opportunity to move away from coal to renewable sources rather than gas and oil should not be squandered. There is already precedent for this in the UK, with 97% of Scotland’s household energy needs being met by wind power in 2015. With 72% of new energy production capacity coming from renewable energy in 2019, worldwide demand for renewable is obvious.
Now is the time for the UK to capitalise on this. Firstly, the energy grid must be nationalised to ensure that profits can be reinvested into further renewables and that the public can hold to account those tasked with created a green energy network. Secondly, those already employed in fossil fuel energy production should be retrained in relevant green energy areas, this could help avoid the huge unemployment that past moves, such as closing mines across Yorkshire in the 1980s, caused while expansion of the sector will provide new jobs in a variety of areas. The Confederation of British Industry estimates that moving to green energy could provide exports of up to 170 billion, while providing savings of 8 billion by adapting to a more local grid. They also claim the low-carbon sector could grow four times quicker than the rest of the economy before 2030. The case for renewables has never been stronger, and all of this is without examining the pressing need for change to save the planet.
Another key area of life that has changed during lockdown is how those who have to travel do so, and once again there is scope for permanent change to a more climate-friendly policy package as a result. While I have already written on the need for improvements to the UK rail and bus networks, plans presented by TfL highlight another important way to improve inner-city transit and environmental health – increasing cycling and walking. As previous bus strikes have shown in London, taking busses of the streets in central London can play a large part in huge decreases in pollution and increases in air quality. Not only would increased pedestrianisation of central London improve air quality, it would also allow TfL to move the more efficient, less polluting buses currently used on major routes to less served routes outside the centre and better serve those communities. If London and other major cities continue with this policy, we could see much improved transport and air quality around the UK post-lockdown.
Despite all these possibilities, we must look further than small-scale reforms to policy. While nations have seen huge falls in CO2 emissions during lockdowns, those who have began lifting lockdowns have already seen CO2 emission numbers rising back to pre-lockdown levels. Corinne Le Quéré, a climate science professor at the University of East Anglia, argues that behavioural change is not enough “…But if we take this opportunity to put structural changes in place, we have now seen what it is possible to achieve.” We must use this crisis to re-think how our economic system affects our local and global environment. A huge shift to renewable energy sources, investing in public transport, taxing polluters on a personal and industrial scale, and protecting nature over human greed must all be part of the ‘new normal’ that comes from Covid-19.
The Private Members Bill 