Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

Although measures to control the spread of the virus have had some positive environmental effects, such as decreases in global emissions of carbon dioxide, the use of single-use plastics has accelerated. For example, some schools have changed to using disposable cutlery during lunches due to COVID-19 restrictions; and bag use has increased to curb virus transmission. Furthermore, PPE waste has strained the capacity of waste management systems due to the complex composition of some PPE materials, making waste recycling a challenge. Consider:

• Address the challenges faced by waste management systems by including surge capacity and the environmental impact of waste in disaster management plans
• Prioritise reusable personal protective equipment
• Move from a linear to a circular economy to prevent products (including plastic) from becoming waste:
  • Introduce a phased ban on the use of all types of single-use plastic, e.g. via a tax on plastic packaging
  • Partner with organisations such as 'Recircle', to develop strategies to recycle rubber, a product that accounts for almost 10% of micro plastic waste found in the sea
• Commit to action at local levels, e.g. introduce a community single-use plastics policy and action plan:
  • Partner with local waste authorities, charities, community groups, schools, businesses and residents to create action plans and campaigns to reduce the use of single use plastic in the community, e.g. 'Good to know' posters in schools that provide fun facts on the benefits of re-cycling to increase awareness in young people
  • Collaborate with local water management authorities to install COVID-safe water fountains across the community, enabling free refills of water

Recent research in the UK suggests that people are planning to drive more in future than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, despite the fact many people accept human responsibility for the climate crisis. The preference to travel by car is likely the result of people feeling unsafe on public transport as a result of COVID, reduced public transport services, and a lack of trust in services. To encourage tangible action on climate change for recovery and renewal from COVID-19, localised climate policies for transport can consider:

• Limit and reduce measures to increase road capacity as research suggests new road capacity encourages more traffic and increased emissions
• Introducing low emission zones and/or congestion charging areas - the funds from these can be used to subsidise public transport
• Invest in rapid transition to electric vehicles for public services e.g. public transport, waste removal, and for vehicles that are required to be used by council staff (a 'grey fleet' of vehicles used by staff but not owned by the council)
• Build reduce car use into local plans to consider quality walking and cycling routes, and the provision of transport and delivery hubs to enable the use of cargo bikes and similar for deliveries
• Require that all taxis are electric vehicles through licensing regulations

COVID-19 has resulted in food shortages in certain parts of the world due to disrupted supply chains. The compounding impacts of poor harvests as a result of climate change requires the adoption of new farming techniques to protect the environment and lives and livelihoods. Conservation agriculture promotes minimal soil disturbance, crop diversification and the use of organic fertilizer to conserve and improve the soil, and makes more efficient use of natural resources. It is therefore climate-smart from an adaptation as well as mitigation viewpoint. Consider:

• Introducing environmentally friendly legislation and incentives. In the UK, the Agriculture Bill is reforming farming to provide subsidies not simply for cultivating land (which is the current EU approach) but for delivering "public goods" e.g. sequestering carbon in trees or soil, enhancing habitat with pollinator-friendly flowers
• Moving beyond a model of short-term farming subsidies e.g. through stronger legislative commitments to long term funding, domestic environmental and animal welfare standards, and safeguards on import standards
• How to promote the benefits of conservation agriculture for farmers including financial savings that can be made due to less use of machinery, labour and pesticides
• Using digital technologies to disseminate important information on how to limit post-harvest losses, and improve better access markets and financial services
• Encouraging the public to continue to 'buy local' during the pandemic (e.g. through farms practicing conservation agriculture), as this supports local, sustainable food supply chains

This may include:

• Reimagining how cities are built and organised e.g. Brussels is creating 40km of new cycle paths; France is providing cyclists with subsidies; UK has announced a œ2bn infrastructure scheme to encourage more walking and cycling
• Accelerating environmentally friendly projects such as increased investment in electric vehicle infrastructure

Also consider the unintended consequences of green infrastructure solutions. In the case of battery production for electric vehicles, consideration should be given to the environmental degradation caused by mining for battery components for electric vehicles, the ethical considerations of using mines in developing countries, the lifecycle of batteries and how they will be recycled in large quantities.

For example:

• Consider how trusted experts can support discussions about the climate change agenda and inform public policy
• Consider how new behaviours adopted through the pandemic can be encouraged to support the climate change agenda, and how people's adaptability can be harnessed
• Consider how short-term actions can be embedded in longer-term climate change actions e.g. the reduction of unnecessary air travel (e.g. for business meetings) and the encouragement of more home-working (e.g. using videoconferencing)
• Learn from 'known unknowns' - foreseen possibilities that are not obviously (such as pandemics and climate change) and therefore lacked effective emergency planning