The Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainability

Over 19 million confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported globally.  The pandemic unlike any we’ve seen in over a century, has forced travel bans, school shutdowns and businesses closures.  It’s clear that this disease has caused significant affects on both the economy and mental health, but as we start recognizing the impacts and challenges caused by COVID, it’s also important to understand how it influences sustainability. 

Since the pandemic started, bluer skies have been seen in condensed cities, due to the global reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution, but the range of sustainability covers much more than greenhouse gases, and COVID-19 has magnified many existing issues.  Equality, decent work, sustainably finance, human rights, ocean, anti-corruption, and water stewardship, all face climate related risks worsened by the pandemic.  To create a better post-COVID-19 world, our global resilience needs to be strengthened by identifying sustainability areas that both industries and science can collaborate and strategize on, to help immediate efforts as well as long term recovery. 

The UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, has started identifying and briefing a range of sustainability issues impacted by the pandemic.  This compiled series of COVID-19 issue is the start to a stronger recovery that will help build back a better world.