COVID19 has also proven that governments can act and take bold decisions in urgencies – Addressing climate change is an urgency that needs to be tackled as rigorously as COVID19. It is not because the icebergs which are melting are far from our visibility that we don’t feel the potential danger – it is not because we cannot with naked eyes see the rise in sea levels that the danger is not there – it is not because the Western world, China and India don’t have to deal with climate refugees at this stage that they can continue grilling our planet. It is not because the US is moving out of the Paris Agreement that the rest of the world should not act. There is an urgency to act back to back on climate urgency as we end the pandemic COVID19.

COVID19 have shown to us that we can change our behaviours and life styles. Commuting less and working from home is a possibility. During my days with Greenpeace, I used to work a lot remotely and this was in the working culture of the organisation. Quality of work is more important than quantity of work and as a global organisation we do a lot of meeting virtually, sometimes very late or very early depending on time zones. Yes it is possible to deliver working remotely.

The lockdown has shown that people can change their behaviour and that also in a very short amount of time. At the end of the dark tunnel of COVID19 there are rising hopes for setting up the pillars of a new world build on a low carbon economy. COVID19 has also provided the opportunity to rethink and review our routine. We can shift to a carbon efficient economy and change our consumerism pattern. We can break from these last 50 years of free market policies that promised growth for all but delivered on growth for some making the world more unequal. Our country, which mirrors neoliberalism, can change and lead the way to a new paradigm as we did in the recent past. Mauritius through its MID vision was leading as a model for sustainable development and pioneered the Green Economy philosophy. Unfortunately all ended up so brutally in 2014. It is never too late. The time is “Now” and true leaders have to seize the opportunity and start the transition to a new world where equality and preservation of our natural assets will not only be buzzwords but dire realities.

Dear Leaders - close your eyes for few seconds and dream of Mauritius- sustainable, clean, green where people are happy. This is possible!  

Europe can lead the new world

Since World War II, Europe has evolved in the growing power of markets especially the financial markets, privatisation, corporate friendly tax policies and the promotion of free trade - all termed as Neoliberalism. Neoliberalism dogma showered corporate interests and relegated the role of public intervention and governments have been belittled. COVID19 has pushed leaders on the front row again and without public intervention, the free market protagonists won’t survive. The civil society and International NGOs have repeatedly argued that the EU is not capable of changing its ways and responding efficiently to threats. It has been lengthily debated that Europeans watched wars the Syria war; droughts and hunger in Africa, democratic turn over, political crises, natural disasters and epidemics in different part of the world from a distance and participated only through statements, appeals but also on donations. Now the crisis is at their doorstep.

Since World War II, Europe has not faced any grave threat enough to drastically force them to change their lifestyle. There have been a lot of public demonstrations to show their disagreements on many issues but in general life went on as usual for many. Now it is not “ BAU” in Europe. The opportunity to change and lead the transition is here.

European cities are locked. Cities around the world are responsible for around 70% of the GHG emissions and European cities have their fair share in the global emissions. This is the time for Europe to lead the transition that this planet needs. More over the EU has initiated their Green New Deal and a lot of cities have already agreed to a timeline to end diesel as an entry point and later fossil fuel in their transport sector. A lot of countries, to start with Germany has a phase out plan for coal. Renewable energy is gaining ground. Europeans are on the move to endorse a new lifestyle and COVID19 must hasten this change.

COVID19 Stimulus package

“Stimulus Packages” paraded in many corners of the world during and after the 2008 financial crisis. Progressive economists often referred this crash as “ fossil capitalism crash” and stated that the economic growth in the 18^th century was neither a result of innovation nor that of free trade dynamics but was simply the discovery of fossil fuel and its raw power. During that crisis a lot people’s money in the form of “stimulus package” has been used to bail out failed companies and corporates that has fuelled global warming and created climate crisis. COVID19 is pushing governments and other institutions like central banks to deliver on new “stimulus packages”. History should not repeat itself. The civil society has to be alert on how these new “ stimulus packages” are dealt with. They should not fuel the dirty industries that would drag the world further to global warming. There is need for transparency in all allocations and people involvement in the processes.

Our COVID19 package

Our government also issued a “stimulus package” during the financial crisis of 2008. I am not a financial expert, but few questions do arise unless I missed something – Have we done a study to know the impacts of the previous “stimulus package”? – Who benefitted from it? - How many jobs were saved? – How are the companies that benefitted from the 2008 “stimulus package” doing today? And more questions can follow. This is another debate, which I would like to park now. I believe that this new package should have a component to put Mauritius on the track of food security and self-suffiency. It should for example contain incentives for small planters to go back to their abandoned lands and start producing food items that would drag Mauritius on the positive curve of food security. COVID19 has shown to us how dependent we are on imports. Our staple food is rice. What has happened to the Singaporean project of rice cultivation in Mauritius and which would further been extended to Mozambique? There are other useful sectors that should benefit from the package. (I took one example). This 2020 “stimulus package” must allocate capital to more useful purposes and structural changes in the system to enable the transition to happen. It has to be innovative and not conservative and multi folded not only guided by the free market gurus.

The Stone Age ended not because we lacked stones but we innovated and endorsed change.