More urgency for climate change because of coronavirus
- Sustainability
The Dutch want to keep the clean air they’ve been experiencing since large parts of the economy have been shut down. A representative sample by ABN AMRO and Ipsos shows that almost 71 percent of respondents would like to keep the positive effects of the coronavirus on the climate. Almost half are even willing to change their own travel habits, including flying less often.
Never have so many people indicated that the climate is important and that they are willing to act on their convictions. During a survey held by ABN AMRO in March last year, a largemajority of people also said they believe climate change is an important topic, but only a quarter considered daily car use and air traffic to be a matter of concern. Now, more than 76 percent of car owners say they want to travel by car less often and almost 78 percent that they intend to fly less often for private travel. Climate is the key reason for this.
These results seem to show a turning point in the transition from a non-sustainable society to a sustainable one. That said, 68 percent of respondents wondered whether the positive results of the coronavirus crisis will last: they don’t believe it’s realistic. Interestingly, where cost and convenience were the main reasons why consumers decided to not to travel by car or to fly, climate is now the decisive factor. More than 41 percent don’t want to wait too long and want the government to combat climate change at the same time as tackling the coronavirus.
Bright spot
The coronavirus pandemic is having unprecedented personal, societal and economic consequences. However, one positive result is that air quality has changed for the better since the lockdown. According to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), CO₂levels in the Netherlands have decreased by 20 to 60 percent. The reason for this large margin were the uncertainties during the measuring period. NASA took a measurement above the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, and came to the same conclusion: the air in Wuhan contains considerably less CO₂ as a result of the lockdown. Less travel is one of the main reasons for this decrease in emissions.
This raises the question whether the Dutch population, business and the government are willing to move away from old habits and make radical changes to combat climate change. As soon as the government’s coronavirus measures are rolled back, choices will have to be made to decide what to invest in first. Many companies have had to close down formonths and will want to continue their trusted revenue models as soon as they can. Heading in a sustainable direction will not be at the top of their list. That’s why respondents found economic recovery most important, albeit followed directly by climate.
Limiting flights
That’s why 54 per cent of respondents support the government’s requirement that companies improve their sustainability performance in exchange for financial support. Banks that grant loans to companies can do the same, but support for this is lower: only 42percent of respondents support this. The underlying idea is that businesses with sustainable revenue models have a higher chance of survival. Of the respondents who worry about the climate, 83 percent felt sustainability should be a top priority for the government, especially now that society needs to be reshaped. Of all respondents, 56 percent agreed with this statement. Greener transport, stimulating working from home, limiting air traffic and investing in green energy were some of the suggestions made.