Corona Sustainability Compass - A Science Blog by Umweltbundesamt, Future Earth, International Science Council and Foundation 2°

The current coronavirus pandemic has refocused attention on the fact that more than two thirds of known infectious diseases in humans originated in animals. The majority of infectious diseases that have emerged in recent years were transmitted from wild animals or farm livestock to humans.

In response to this problem, the One Health approach has been developed over the course of the last decade. It is an holistic, interdisciplinary approach that works on local, regional, national and global levels to protect human health considering animal health and environmental health. The aim of this approach is “optimal health and well-being outcomes recognizing the interconnections between people …

The crisis has created situations and images that seemed utopian in "normal" times, in addition to the manifold, sometimes serious, negative social and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Inner cities with less traffic, wild animals reclaiming their habitats, a reduction to the essentials. Some of the consequences will fade away, others will have a longer-term impact on the future and change the social context of environmental policy action. It is against this background that we (Anne Klatt, Laura Spengler, Kathrin Schwirn and Christian Löwe) have addressed two questions in a discussion paper:

What social impacts of the pandemic are environmentally relevant?
How could and …

Over the past several decades, the global community was following a development model that seemed unsustainable. The adopted path of development led to consequences with a potential for serious impact on the environment, economies and societies. COVID-19 crisis precipitated the situation by transforming it from a dangerous regional health threat to an all-consuming global pandemic and economic disaster. It also holds potential for changes that could be quite devastating in the future. Since COVID-19 has affected all parts of the world, there is a pressing need for governments to coordinate and act in unison across regions and countries. To avoid the kind of crossroads at which we stand today …

During the early days of the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic a “witty expression” did the rounds on social media in Germany. “Now the young are helping the old” - by not attending parties and staying at home. “Tomorrow (after the pandemic) the old will help the young” - by – finally – adapting their lifestyle to the challenges of climate change.

Although it was meant to be funny, there is a key message to this: actions and measures are required for solutions and the needed changes to have a chance. It might sound trivial, but it’s important. After all, in the past the scientific and political debate has often too much focused on the “what” and somewhat neglected the “who” and the …

Irrespective of the health issues, the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently experiencing demonstrates that rapid and radical responses of governments and business, as well as rapid lifestyle changes, are possible. Suddenly, we’ve found we are able to adjust personal habits and routines (e.g. not shaking hands), change travel plans (e.g. give up on holidays abroad), and adjust business practices (e.g. move meetings online, allow working from home).  Have these actions affected GDP growth and generated economic costs? Yes, of course! Is it a problem? There are concerns, but the majority of citizens and media perceives such changes as necessary, and even desired, in order to reduce the …