7 March 2020 | New Scientist | 3WE ARE facing a global emergency, and
politicians who appear to not believe
in science are putting us all at risk.
That this statement applies equally
to coronavirus (see our special report,
starting overleaf) and climate change
says something about the era in
which we live. Our response to the
ever-widening outbreak has surprising
parallels with our efforts to tackle global
warming, though at accelerated speed.
There are some transferable lessons.
First, we must listen to scientists.
There have been reports of public health
officials in the US being told not to speak
to the media without first clearing it
with the White House. This is a mistake.
As with climate change, open discussion
of the risks and uncertainties is the only
way forward.
Likewise, science alone can’t guideour response. In the coming weeks,
politicians will face difficult decisions
over whether to restrict people’s
movements, perhaps even locking down
cities as happened in Wuhan, China,
where the covid-19 outbreak began.
They will need to weigh the social andfinancial fallout against the public
health risk. Many people can’t afford to
self-isolate without pay for two weeks,
so should governments pay them to stay
at home? A virologist can’t answer that.
As climate change rises up the agenda,
people increasingly look for advice on
how they can help mitigate the crisis,whether it be flying less, recycling
or reducing meat intake. The role of
individual action in this fight is still being
debated, but with the coronavirus, it is
clear that handwashing will help protect
your own health, and that of others.
In fact, as the virus spreads, we may
need to take more drastic action, such
as preparing food supplies to allow us to
self-isolate. Younger, healthier people in
particular should see this as a civic duty.
Although they may only develop mild
symptoms if they become infected,
they risk passing the virus to people
who are much less likely to be so lucky.
This isn’t a call to panic buy or begin
prepping a bunker. As with climate
change, we must calibrate our caution,
neither denying the issue nor giving up in
despair. The virus can be beaten – but at
what cost will depend on our response. ❚Parallel problems
Our fight against climate change offers useful lessons for tackling the coronavirus
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“ We must calibrate our caution
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