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

The Corona crisis is perceived by many as a historical caesura. As a result of a zoonosis, the pandemic with the Sars-CoV-2 virus occurred, which out a spotlight on the global interdependencies between society, nature and economic activity. The containment of the virus requires drastic measures and as a result new fundamental questions arise about the values of economic activity, mutual responsibility between individuals and between societies, and the relationship between man and nature.

The corona pandemic underlines the vulnerability of economic and social (sub)systems as a result of globalised economic activity. It becomes clear that the manageability of the effects depends on the …

„I am sorry but we need to amputate your toe!” – This was the statement that changed everything for Erik. The 68-year-old overweight diabetic man stared at me, the doctor, in disbelief, swallowed hard, and looked down at that toe of his right foot that was totally black. This moment was the start of a long healing process of his foot, and of his life. One year later, when he visited the hospital of the small town in southern Sweden again, he seemed a different man: slimmer, more cheerful, as if he was ten years younger. He had stopped smoking, was eating well, getting exercise and hardly needed any anti-diabetes drugs. The loss of his toe was the moment when he had realized how precious his …

While the future of humanity has always been unpredictable, major challenges⁠ — like the current pandemic — have been an inevitable part of our shared history. What is different now, however, is that human beings have become the dominant force of planetary change. In other words, the Anthropocene has arrived, and with it an unprecedented opportunity to steer our collective future.

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) are the drivers of this change, and can also be the means of achieving a sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for both human civilization and the biosphere. These tools, however, need to be complemented with the necessary evolutions of our economies, public …

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the world. Geopolitical tensions, for example between China and the USA, as well as existing conflicts between the EU states appear to have become more severe. In addition, the pandemic has significantly intensified the crisis phenomenon in the Global South, while countries of the Global North have often been better able to deal with the impacts of the crisis through government interventions. The gap between the countries of the Global North and the Global South thus threatens to be even deepened. The pandemic could also lead to fundamental political instability in countries in both the Southern and Northern hemisphere (e.g. USA, Brazil and other …

One of the most important questions arising from the painful corona crisis is: how can we make the economic case for investing in a green, healthy and just recovery for people and the planet?

The COVID-19 pandemic offers many lessons, despite the early stage of global responses. For me, the most important one is the inevitable truth that we will not be able to promote an inclusive and durable recovery without addressing the root causes of this pandemic. While most of the public attention goes to a much awaited vaccine, there is also great value in understanding long-term and preventive measures. In this article, I highlight the Planetary health approach, which has the advantage of “multi …