As the world was pulled into the event horizon of a global pandemic, the gaping
holes in human systems for wealth, healthcare, food, housing security, and
business stability came into real focus for the first time since the Great
Depression. The COVID-19
pandemic showed the
world that we are far more vulnerable, unequal and deeply connected than we
realized.
COVID’s acute effects have been enormous: We’ve seen 400 million jobs lost
worldwide
and a reeling global
economy,
plus the potential
demise
of tens of millions of small businesses that don’t have the reserves to make it
through even a few months of falling economic activity.
These acute harms would be bad enough, but the coronavirus also exposed how bad
our pre-existing conditions were as a world.
A wildly inadequate social infrastructure has left millions unable to pay for
basic necessities, at risk of losing access to healthcare; and created mile-long
lines for food even in some of the world’s wealthiest cities. And, of course,
the climate crisis continues to add to the challenges we now face: From a record
high above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C) north of the Arctic Circle to 121
record-high
temperatures
in 2020 (against just one record low) in three cities in south Florida,
increased heat seems to be exacerbating risks ranging from
diseases
to oil spills.
And while the pandemic exposed these vulnerabilities and the desperate
need to mitigate them, it also put on display some remarkable qualities; and
humanity’s ability to rise to the
challenge
in a time of emergency.
Clearly, when a major threat is perceived, the majority of humans can change
behavior, put their livelihoods at risk, and think of others’ safety before
their own. We are capable of moving with incredible speed and urgency to address
emergencies. And when needed, we can cut through the noise and gamesmanship to
do it.
We know that we can buy less, use less, work from home, drive less, collaborate
more; and have business, society and government move faster — because we just
did all of that.
The question then becomes: How can we respond as powerfully and courageously to
other super-critical threats?
Two years ago, the IPCC gave us a deadline by
which we must keep global warming under 1.5˚C (2.7˚F) or face truly devastating
effects from climate change. But where are the trillion-dollar initiatives, the
businesses acting in the global best interests regardless of quarterly earnings,
the governments asking the public to dramatically cut carbon, or the public
itself demanding an end to fossil fuel
consumption?
Since the COVID crisis began, many thought leaders have seen the opportunity for
real change now that these issues have been exposed so dramatically to the
world. Some have clearly laid out the changes that must be made in a post-COVID
world
— how we must not allow ourselves to return to the horses we rode into this
disaster
on.
If we had the collective will to make needed changes — as we did with
COVID-19, they say — this is what we would
do.
And yet, for all the roadmaps and discussions of how to structure the future, it
will require a dramatic shift in action to get these changes adopted. Real,
concrete, immediate, impactful, catalytic, meaningful action.
Enter: the COVID Covenant, created by myself and a group of top business and
sustainability thought leaders — Andrew Winston, Hunter Lovins, Gil Friend, Catherine Greener, Dr. John Izzo, Daniel Kreeger, Amy Larkin, Phillip
Clawson, P.J. Simmons, Daniel Kempner and others. The Covenant is an
ironclad commitment that the signatory — individual, organization, municipality
— will immediately begin influencing, catalyzing, refusing to go back to
‘normal.’ Signatories commit to not going back; but rather — with the same
speed, scale, scope and courage we saw in response to COVID — to going big and
going now towards a regenerative future.
Here is the COVID Covenant:
We know what we have to do, and we know that we can. Join us in doing it! Sign
the COVID Covenant, or learn more, at
valutus.com/covid-covenant.
Published Jul 6, 2020 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST