Will We Build Back Better?
With a vaccine around the corner, light is appearing at the end of the tunnel. No doubt, COVID has fundamentally altered us, and there is no going back to how we used to live before the pandemic. What will change, and do we have the courage to #BuildBackBetter?
COVID, along with unbridled social unrest, historic wildfires, and devastating superstorms, rocked us to our core in 2020. But with the impending promise of widespread vaccine distribution, it looks like the end of the pandemic is near.
While consumers continue to tighten their belts and moderate spending, the upward trajectory of the housing market endures. New home sales have reached record highs, and COGNITION Smart Data, Green Builder Media’s market intelligence and data division shows that remodeling projects are up by 75%, with homeowners spending on average $17,140 (up from and average annual spend of $12,000.)
A recent COGNITION survey indicates that consumers are making different lifestyle choices due to the pandemic, taking better care of themselves by cooking and exercising more, paying more attention to their indoor air quality, and spending more time outdoors.
COVID may prove to be a turning point for adopting healthier habits, but, simply put, that not enough. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now, incremental change isn’t enough. We need a sea change.
The recent election reminded us how deeply divided our nation is, and the unacceptable truth is that we’re not anywhere close to establishing a just, sustainable, or climate-safe system — one that balances economic vibrancy with social equality and environmental stewardship.
And let’s go ahead and call out the elephant in the room: we’re actually taking steps further away from our climate goals rather than towards them.
A recent study by the United Nations (UN) emphasized that, while global fossil fuel production and greenhouse gas emissions have declined sharply this year because of the pandemic, we’re still on a trajectory to increase fossil fuel production on a global scale by 2% — a far cry from the 6% decrease required to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals.
To add insult to injury, John Kerry, Biden’s newly appointed ‘Climate Envoy’ recently admitted that that even if we hit the Paris Agreement objectives, we still won’t be able to reduce the “threat multiplier” of climate change — meaning that our environment will continue to get more unstable, unpredictable, and extreme.
Which begs the question — how can we, realistically, transition to an equitable, climate-safe future?
No doubt, the new administration is putting climate action at the forefront of its agenda, promoting the:
· Transition to a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050
· Enhancement of resilient buildings and infrastructure
· Implementation of aggressive emission limits for polluting industries
· Engagement with other nations to drive climate action
· Protection of frontline communities
· Reduction of emissions from transportation
· Investment in climate research, innovative technologies, and renewable energy
·Improvement of sustainable agricultural, industrial, and manufacturing practices
But I can’t help but wonder — can we marshal enough human resource, financial capital, and political will to truly #BuildBackBetter, updating our social contracts and transforming our system so that it is economically vibrant, environmentally appropriate, and socially just? Or is it too little, too late?
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