The pandemic is a reason to preserve—not pollute—the planet
We've already seen the Trump Administration use COVID-19 as an excuse to stop enforcing environmental laws and there is little question that the pandemic that has all of us under lockdown has driven most other policy issues off of the agenda. In the short run, the sheer desire for normalcy can and should dominate our thoughts and our actions. But we should be very careful about taking actions that set back the progress we've made toward environmental sustainability and decarbonization. We should never accept the idea that we must trade off environmental protection for economic growth. Both are interdependent: a clean environment is a long-term prerequisite for economic growth, just as we are learning the hard way that economic life is impossible without public health. We are living, organic creatures. Our health requires clean air and water, poison-free food and bodies free of deadly viruses.