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Less then two months away from 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, but it’s been with us long enough to have numerous impacts on the environment and climate change. Let’s have a look at some environmental issues through the lens of the COVID pandemic.

Climate Change

Like the pandemic, climate change from human greenhouse gas emissions brings sickness, death, and displacement, along with a very high economic price. It has already made conditions more favourable to the spread of some infectious diseases, including insect-borne (Lyme disease, malaria, etc.) and waterborne diseases. It also increases the risk of new global and regional pandemics. For example, glacier and permafrost melt from climate change, has the potential to unleash deadly bacteria and viruses that have been dormant for thousands of years.. Scientific studies in recent years have confirmed this possibility, and yet, the issue attracted little public attention until COVID-19 hit.

One of the few environmental impacts reported by media as a positive impact from COVID is actually bad news . The global interruption in human activities, such as less travel, has resulted in a 17% year-over-year reduction of carbon emissions during the April lockdown (). However, according to a UN report released in September, while emissions of CO2 plummeted during the lockdown, as the world returned to work, concentrations of the long-lasting greenhouse gas have continued to rise in the atmosphere. The report also said it would require a pandemic-sized carbon slowdown every year for the next decade to prevent us from missing our 1.5 C target.

Moreover, the Paris Climate Accord of 2015, by which every country pledged to take action to keep global average temperatures from rising more than 2 C beyond pre-industrial levels, has been delayed and will not re-convene for at least another year. This could lead some countries not to incorporate climate change strategies in their stimulus plans.

Forest Fire and Deforestation

The outbreak of this pandemic has diverted government and public attention away from some other urgent environmental issues. Two of them are deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, and wildfires in California on an unprecedented scale

The Amazon rainforest, which absorbs 5% of global emissions, saw deforestation rise by 55% in the first four months of 2020 compared to 2019. With COVID case numbers now over 5.5 million in Brazil, the Brazilian government has not allocated enough resources to stop the resurgence of illegal deforestation. This adds an extra burden to the current climate change emergency.

While earth’s lungs are being attacked in the south, forests in the north are in flames. Before this year, California’s worst year of fire was in 2018. The first three quarters of 2020 have seen nearly 4 million acres burn, more than twice the 2018 total.

Luckily, there have still been some positive impacts on the environment.

Air Pollution

The global interruption has actually led to a decrease in air pollution. Research shows that experts estimated that the reduction in pollution may have saved at least 77,000 lives in two months.

Sustainable Energy Transition

The pandemic may have pushed the fossil fuel industry into “terminal decline” as demand decreases and governments shifted their focus to accelerate the clean energy transition. Stimulus programs from governments with a focus on renewable energy and climate-friendly projects could create millions of direct jobs.

The focus of long-term transition plans are also repositioned or reinforced. This September, as the biggest carbon emitter in the world, China stepped up and announced its goal to become “carbon neutral” before 2060. By doing so, it joins dozens of other countries in adopting mid-century “net zero” climate targets called for by the Paris Agreement. “Carbon Neutral” means not only reducing carbon emissions, but also offsetting emissions through natural systems or absorption technologies.

Biodiversity

Scientific evidence shows that COVID-19 virus was likely to have been exposed to humans through wildlife consumption. Biodiversity loss is a key driver of emerging infectious diseases, and protecting biodiversity is vital to human health, well-being and economic prosperity. While governments and industries have acknowledged the urgency of climate change, the current crisis may motivate governments to integrate biodiversity considerations onto the current recovery plans from the COVID crisis to help address these risks, while providing jobs and businesses opportunities to society.

Environmental Justice

COVID has cast a spotlight on largely unnoticed segments of society, such as low-income people in polluted neighbourhoods. Research shows that the pandemic has disproportionately affected lower income, racialized and crowded communities. For example, there is an association with higher mortality rates for individuals who had a COVID-19 infection and who was exposed to higher levels of air pollution. Communities of colour and low-income communities tend to be more exposed to heavily polluted land uses, and these communities which are vulnerable to COVID are also more likely to be vulnerable to other disasters. COVID is making these invisible communities visible again.

The COVID-19 pandemic is altering the current situations of these environmental issues directly or indirectly, by altering their nature, shedding a spotlight on them, reallocating resources or reshaping policies. The good news is that the pandemic is awakening us to our mistake of treating environmental issues and global health policy as separate issues. As with the new behaviours and practices we adopted during the pandemic, we can adapt to prevent and mitigate the effects from climate change and other environmental issues. We need to acknowledge the dire threats we are facing and how intertwined the nature of environmental issues and public health are, urge suitable policies and practices and drive demands for change from government, industry and individuals, and rebuild a society that is more equitable, sustainable, and resilient. If we fail, the next pandemic could be much, much worse.

by Mark Takefman Photo by Artem Beliaikin

When I worked with a foundation in NYC we held a meeting of Executive Directors from various youth organizations.  One ED told us that the youth they were involved with “had been doing pollution/trash cleanup along rivers and other areas.  They (the youth) said that they did not want to get involved with politics for dealing with these problems. They thought that politics was too complex, corrupted, and insurmountable. They wanted to do something they felt they could see the direct results of their efforts like picking up trash along the river.”

We understood their lament, getting immediate results was a good feeling and politics, well … we all have a certain bias when it come to dealing with politicians.  However we told them that if they didn’t get involved in politics it would be very likely that their grandchildren would be doing the same cleanup of the same rivers and environment they are doing today.

Last week Amy Domini, founder of pioneering ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) fund Domini  Impact Investments LLC, told Bloomberg News that climate, not elections, would have the biggest impact on the stock markets over the next few years.

The evidence supports her.

Sure, Covid-19 is hogging headlines as the disaster du jour, but on the climate front, 2020 is shaping up to be the year that Gaia struck back.

The year started with huge swathes of Australia getting tossed on the barbie in unprecedented wildfires, which were eventually quelled in part by torrential rains and flooding.  Not be outdone by the junior continent, areas of Siberia basking in a newly subtropical climate burned through former permafrost , releasing huge amounts of carbon to further exacerbate global warming.

In the American West, California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado are having apocalyptic fire seasons, all attributable at least in part to warming from human greenhouse gas emissions.  Down south, warm waters in the Atlantic contributed to an unprecedented – yeah, you’re hearing that word a lot – hurricane season, with so many named storms that we’re stuck with calling them by Greek letters instead of kicky media-friendly names.

So humanity is careening down a Gadarene path to self-extermination, with climate change the primary driver, and other potent disasters like ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and unchecked deforestation looming behind.

What’s missing is the absence of boardroom conversations about these very real existential threats. While most large companies have some form of Corporate and Social Responsibility reporting, addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is often not so much a priority as a an inconvenience foisted on them by regulators, media, and an increasingly uneasy public.

The corporate world has more power today than at any time in human history, with mega-corporations and their shareholders commanding more resources and influence than most nation-states. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing or a good thing; but it’s a thing.

And yet the big picture conversations are rarely happening. Leaders divert their gaze from the elephant in the room, or suggest that it’s a coffee mug or a potted plant, when it’s just smashed the video conference gear and is standing on the table trumpeting.

If we’re going to secure a habitable planet in which to live and do business, climate and ESG concerns must become a fundamental element of corporate strategy.

 Some companies are starting to take a more active approach to the issues, for example, examining the vulnerability of their supply chain to accelerating weather disasters.

But paying attention to the issues must go beyond pragmatic self-interest and PR lip service. This has begun, as auto companies pledge greener vehicles and carbon reduction, and manufacturers and retailers adopt renewable energy to run their operations. And 55 financial institutions, including heavy hitters like HSBC and BNP Paribas recently  agreedto set climate goals for certain assets in their loan portfolios. All helpful, but far too slow and too vague to ward off probable disaster.

It’s up to investors to demand change, and for regulators to enforce it.  Now.

A recent survey found that 70% of Institutional investors think that ESG analysis – of which climate is a key subset – will be standard for portfolios in the next five years, and 78% have invested in sustainable infrastructure projects. And more retail investors are starting to look for sustainable investments, although options are still relatively limited.

The next step is accountability. Regulators making ESG reporting a fiduciary responsibility makes sense, particularly when studies have found that firms with high ESG scores can reduce risk and deliver better returns.

That’s not to say it will be easy. Most companies still aren’t set up to gather and report detailed ESG data, making measurements potentially inconsistent and unreliable. Even the basic idea of what metrics should be reported will diverge widely among stakeholders.

But from an ROI point of view, it’s a no-brainer. For some relatively meagre up-front investment, businesses improve performance, investors make better decisions, and the human race continues not to be extinct.

No longer we can think that the long-standing, but highly inefficient –“reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra– will be sufficient in our efforts to clean and maintain our planet.

Pollution, and specifically plastic pollution, has a tremendous negative impact on every aspect of our lives. It gets into our water, soil, food, bodies and often has irreversible consequences, with harm to our health at the top of the list.  So what can we as individuals do to start reducing plastic waste?

The latest OECD statistics show that only 10% of recyclable waste is actually being recycled. Why such a low number? The answer lies in a falsely promoted recycling process and deceptive resin codes (denoting type of plastic group). It seems reasonable to suppose that the famous three arrow recycling symbol, would guarantee that the item will be recycled. Unfortunately, that’s not true. Out of 7 groups of plastic, we successfully recycle only  three groups (PET (1), HDPD (2) and PP (5), meaning that much of what we think we’re recycling goes straight back into the ecosystem, where it can last for hundreds of years or more.

Consumers are awakening to the fact that plastic recycling is barely more than a hoax, designed to make us feel virtuous, so manufacturers can keep pumping it out and retailers can keep using it.  When we realize this, we arrive at the conclusion that reducing and reusing are our best bets as individuals trying to do our bit. (Extended producer responsibility is another way to tackle this issue, but that’s a whole other subject.)

 All of the above brings us to the point where we definitely need to look into our shopping habits. The easiest way is to stop buying unnecessary products, just for the sake of having them. Our consumer culture has led us to believe that the more we have, the better we feel about ourselves. In reality, it just leaves us wanting the next thing, and the product life cycle repeats, with high probability of ending in a landfill.

If you do need to buy something, choose products from ecologically conscious companies, which do minimum damage to the environment. Check for the signs on the packaging and know what those signs mean. Educate yourself and those around you. Reusing already purchased items and repurposing them, or trading them with others are a great way for individual consumers to divert products from landfills as well. The increasingly popular Buy Nothing movement and several others like it are slowly changing our perception of material things and sparking our creative side.

Finally, taking a one week shopping detox every month would be an additional step towards a change in our buying habits and consumer mindset. Change is easier than we think, and the results have a much bigger impact than we can imagine. We are all responsible for our future together.

Sixty enthusiastic attendees turned out to network and to learn more about opportunities in the sustainability sector at the “Green Career Workshop” event on March 28, 2018.

The event was facilitated by Elena Jusenlijska, Manager, Corporate Engagement at ACCES Employment, and former Headhunter at Delta Management, specializing in recruiting Green Professionals.

The complete video can be found here.

The five featured speakers were:

Indra Maharjan: Program Manager, Energy Conservation, Resource Recovery and Climate Change at Ontario Clean Water Agency

Indra spoke of his journey from Nepal to Canada in 2010 with two Masters degrees, and the steps he took to find a career in his field. Indra started as an Energy Analyst with the City of Toronto before ultimately landing his current position as a program manager with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (part of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change).

Indra recommended that newcomers and those  looking for a career in sustainability find a mentor to help them sort through the noise of available information and understand what’s important.  He also identified networking as a key activity.

He noted that the Ontario Clean Water Agency expects to see about 20% of staff retire in the next two years, leading to opportunities for younger people in an area of secure employment. However, since it’s a regulated industry, appropriate training and licenses are necessary.

Lily Lin: Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Panasonic Eco-Solutions Canada, and President of Toronto Renewable Energy Network

Lily discussed her experience in coming from China in 2008 and how her dual passions for nature and problem solving led her to involvement with various sustainability and environmental groups.  She noted that working in various customer-facing roles early in her career provided her with valuable experience in dealing with people which  can be used in any job.

As current President of the Toronto Renewable Energy Network, Lily talked about  plans to rebrand that organization,  including a new name and expanded focus.

Akhil Sivanandan:  Co-Founder of Green Story

Following an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Akhil finished his MBA at the Rotman School of Management . He worked in several roles before taking a position with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change as a program advisor on  cap and trade and other programs.

He subsequently decided to venture out on his own, founding Green Story. Green Story works with companies to assess the sustainability value of their products and services .and present that information in a straightforward way to their customers.  The goal is to encourage consumers to understand and to make greener choices.

Green Story has grown from 1.5 people to 8 since its founding in March of 2016.

Ana Zotovic: Support Assistant, Economic Development and Culture, City of Toronto

Ana spoke to the way that the City of Toronto breaks down the sustainability sector in terms of achieving efficiencies, reducing risk, and studying and managing environment impacts. At the high level, these include Clean Energy, Green Buildings, Sustainable Transport, Resource Management & Environmental Protection, Bio-Products.

The Economic Development Office is works to create green jobs in two ways: indirectly via the Sector Development Office Core Activities, and directly via the Green Market Acceleration Program (GMAP).GMAP  accelerates the development of Made-in-Toronto Green Technologies through collaboration with the City.

 Sahra Shojaie:  Sustainability Consultant at Sustainability Consultant Network

Sahra has a Masters in Environmental Applied Science and Management from Ryerson University, specializing in Biomass research. She works with numerous environmental groups, including the Ontario Community Energy Co-op, Women in Renewable Energy, International Renewable Energy Academy, and the Water Environment Association of Ontario.

Sahra provided an overview of several programs which provide opportunities for sustainability/impact jobs. These include Natural Resources Canada – Science and Technology Internship Program, Bmeaningful, and the Professional Access Into Employment (PAIE) Bridge training program.

Sahra works directly with the Sustainability Consultant Network Consultant Internship Program, which provides real world training with   consultants helping small to medium sized enterprises improve their business through sustainability.

Q&A and Breakout sessions

The speakers were followed by a question and answer session which focused on how to get started in a  sustainability career.

Key points:

• Networking is a cliché, but a true one. Find a niche where what you’re passionate about intersects with what you’re good at, and focus on networking there. (Sahra)
• Create a personal brand and enhance it constantly. Look ahead to what the market will need in the future, not just at what it’s doing now. Train and educate yourself for that future. (Indra)
• Reputation is key. When networking and asking for a meeting , be sure and have a plan so that you’re not wasting that person’s time. (Akhil)
• Develop a combined skill set and understand its value. Having a sales background was very valuable when working in project management. Define your strengths and what skills you want to apply. (Ana)
• Use all avenues to develop your career, including online applications, social media, and networking events. There are many different avenues to career goals. (Lily)

The evening closed with breakout sessions, facilitated small-table discussions, and networking which gave the attendees a chance to meet with and ask questions of the speakers.

Watch the complete event video here!

Funding provided by the Government of Ontario.