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| Thu, 30th Apr 2020 18:00:00 |
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How will coronavirus change the way we live? |
A return to how life was at the start of 2020 is some way off. Even when lockdown restrictions are eased, coronavirus will affect our lives in many ways. What will struggle to get back to how it was before, and what might change for ever?
Twelve BBC correspondents offer their thoughts.
6. Fossil fuel frenzy or green recovery?
By David Shukman
Science editor
Sweet air and tranquil roads - in the grimmest of circumstances, the coronavirus lockdown offers a sense of how a greener world might feel.
Levels of the gas nitrogen dioxide, linked to a wide range of health conditions, fell across parts of China and Europe as traffic flows diminished. And the rise of online meetings has shown what can be achieved without travel and has saved lots of carbon in the process.
What happens next though is open to question.
One scenario is that the world repeats the fossil fuel frenzy that followed the banking crisis, unleashing pent-up demand for oil and coal. Governments know this response well as a method to revive flagging economies.
Another option is for a more sustainable recovery, with policies to encourage a low-carbon future. This would see determined pushes for renewable energy, public transport and home energy efficiency.
It was meant to be a big year to try to halt the damage we're doing to the natural world and to cut the gases driving up temperatures to dangerous levels. That agenda, and the tough choices needed, might not be getting much attention - but they have not gone away.
In fact, the pandemic has shown us how governments can act when they need to - and how willingly people can respond. The issue is whether a similar drive can be directed to what the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls the "deeper emergency" of the environment.
Read original full article
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