Springer's interjections: Is the pandemic good for the environment?

2023 Author: Gordon Longman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:30

Is the pandemic good for the environment?

At first glance, the virus-related restrictions on the economy bring us closer to global climate goals. But the opposite is the case.

As an aspiring physicist, it's been a long time since I really liked the growing eco-movement. I was reluctant to see how science and technology were often labeled as a direct threat to the environment. I found the slogan "Small is beautiful" silly, and when I later took part in demonstrating against the destruction of the environment, I couldn't bring myself to sing along to "Karl the Beetle was not asked / He was simply chased away".

Even today I am not satisfied that as a result of the various lockdowns due to the corona pandemic, not so much is flown and driven and less is produced. Although this is currently reducing the environmental pollution in the highly industrialized countries, the mere restriction of production and traffic with the same level of largely fossil-based technology can hardly be a permanent solution to global climate problems - at most a temporary respite.

In fact, there is a risk of immense damage to the environment in the long term if the supply chains, through which innovative energy sources and low-CO_{2 technologies have been able to reach the world, collapse as a result of the pandemic …}