Climate Emergency

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There’s no doubt that at the moment, our climate is benefitting from current global coronavirus shutdowns. <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter">China</a> has already seen a 36% reduction in coal consumption and a 39% reduction in NO2 levels “thanks” to COVID-19. Countries around the world have drastically limited air travel, which will likely lower greenhouse-gas emissions on a global scale. 
As the world focuses on tackling COVID-19, we must not forget that this won’t be the last pandemic we will see. <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/SR15_Full_Report_High_Res.pdf">Climate change</a> will bring on a whole range of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm">health problems</a> and economic instability, caused by warmer temperatures and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods &#8211; exacerbating air pollution, the spread of bugs and water-borne bacteria, etc. 
As much as the coronavirus is an emergency right now, so is climate change.
However grave the negative impact is on our economic and healthcare system, perhaps Mother Earth is secretly rejoicing. Are there any opportunities that lie in this crisis that will help us fight climate change? Read on to learn more.

Positive impacts of the coronavirus on our climate

The coronavirus pandemic has put a major part of our economic activities to a halt. <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter">Carbon Brief</a>, a UK-based climate information portal, says that in China, the coronavirus already reduced CO2 emissions by a quarter. 
The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780">BBC</a> reports that traffic levels in New York are down by 35% (compared to the same month in 2019), carbon monoxide emissions by 50% (only for a few days), and CO2 by 5-10%. 
As more countries go in lockdown and people are encouraged (forced) to stay at home, it is likely that we will see a worldwide drop in worldwide CO2 emissions for this year. This is what the pandemic has led to so far:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li3">Worldwide aviation is largely at a standstill. European airlines have seen <a href="https://www.aci-europe.org/media-room/238-statement-on-iata-s-requested-suspension-of-slot-rules-due-to-the-covid-19-outbreak-2.html">67 million fewer passengers</a> from January till March this year compared to a year b.c. (before corona). This will naturally lead to fewer carbon emissions.</li>
<li class="li3">The air is cleaner, as traffic emits less nitrogen oxide. This is also good news for people with lung problems &#8211; they could use a windfall right now.</li>
<li class="li3">Wildlife trade is now more or less <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-wildlife-trade-ban-2645320590.html">banned</a> in China, albeit with loopholes.</li>
</ul>
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Will the impact of the coronavirus on the climate be sustained?

While all of these developments certainly don’t hurt our planet, likely, they probably won’t be sustained. For example, a month of 25% fewer cars on the road will result in a reduction of not even 1 millions ton of carbon. 
To meet <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/reducing-carbon-emissions/how-the-uk-is-progressing/">UK net-zero carbon targets for 2050</a>, we need to reduce 15 million tons of carbon per year. Of course, we don’t know yet what the “net gain” in carbon reductions will be this year and how long the pandemic will last. 
But we do know that, once the virus has cleared up, economic activities will resume, and maybe even more so than before, to make up for financial losses. There are a lot of other developments that don’t give us much hope that any positive climate effects will be sustained, such as:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li3">The oil price crash takes away incentives to invest in renewable energy. Earlier this month, the price of oil plummeted to $27,73 per barrel, which makes it the lowest price since 2004. Inevitably, this takes away incentives to invest in renewable energy. </li>
<li class="li3">The price of CO2 European Emission Allowances has dropped. The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-carbon-prices/eus-carbon-permit-price-drops-as-coronavirus-clouds-industrial-outlook-idUSKBN2151DP">price per ton of CO2</a> has dropped from 25 euros to 16,35 euros. This gives coal-fired power stations a major advantage.</li>
<li class="li3">COVID-19 eats away at finances that could be used for climate change mitigation measures. The transition to a clean, renewable-energy based economy takes billions in capital. We need to invest in technology development, infrastructure, etc. Instead, the World Bank had to redirect its $12 billion fund to stop the spread of the virus and keep economies afloat.</li>
<li class="li3">European Union climate debates have been postponed. Instead, they are discussing economic support for airlines and oil companies.</li>
<li class="li3">A recession, which was long overdue and is now accelerated by the coronavirus, will force companies to reduce investments in sustainability programs. Plus, consumers will focus more on cheaper products (that are usually less sustainable), as they have less money to spend. </li>
</ul>
Furthermore, in an economic crisis, such as the one we are experiencing today, people want their government to do everything in their power to fix the economy, even if certain measures hurt the environment. 
Although, the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237128-budget-2020-uk-pledges-cash-to-tackle-coronavirus-and-climate-change/">UK government</a> “pledges to tackle both the coronavirus and climate change” with a package of £30 billion (including £640 million for a tree-planting fund), any reduction in emissions is likely to be offset by extra investments at the end of the year. This will only result in more CO2 emissions.

Opportunities that lie in the coronavirus crisis

Fortunately, we can learn a lot from the global response to the coronavirus crisis right now and apply those lessons to mitigate climate change. If governments would respond to the fight against climate change as they now respond to the coronavirus pandemic, we would definitely stand a chance. 
Without disregarding worldwide suffering caused by the coronavirus, maybe this crisis is going to present an opportunity for global leaders to redesign our economy for the better and for the people to make their lives a little greener. 
However horrible the connotation of the term crisis is in our language, a crisis not only indicates the end of something, but it also presumes the arrival of a new situation. A new opportunity. 
Let’s have a look at some of these opportunities.
1. We could see more people living sustainable lives
What if we hold on to the changes we had to make? If we keep working from home more, travel more locally, take the train instead of the plane, shop sustainably, and invest in tree-planting projects, we could make a real positive impact that will last longer than this virus will.
2. We could see a boost in efficient and sustainable ways of working
People are forced now to meet their clients online, host their meetings on Skype, and digitally attend conferences. Many start-ups and some major companies, already promote working remotely. Now, traditional institutes, such as the government, are learning this “new” way of working as well.
3. We could see the government re-examining fossil fuel subsidies
Important steps can be taken in the discussion of subsidies for fossil energy. The UK has the biggest fossil fuel subsidies in the European Union, and the sharp drop in oil prices makes it possible to re-examine these subsidies without leading to political pain. Maybe the crisis will lead to a healthier playing field for various types of energy.
4. We could see a rising number of green businesses
Big companies often invest less in innovations in a crisis, but there is room for smaller companies and new parties to leave their mark &#8211; especially with the financial support for businesses that governments have set out as a response to the crisis. Learn more about Ecologi&#8217;s <a href="https://ecologi.com/business">carbon offset programs for businesses. </a>
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What will the new situation look like when we have this virus under control?

Will we massively realise that our pace of life is far too high? Will we realise that we are truly at the mercy of Mother Nature and that we need to make long-term sustainable changes to find back our balance? If we hold on to the changes we are now forced to make, we can make the positive impacts of the coronavirus on our climate, last.

Updates

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At Ecologi we’re often reaching for the celebration klaxon for our community’s impact milestones, but it’s a little different this time around.
Today, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve taken on £4m ($5.7m) of investment led by <a href="https://www.generalcatalyst.com/">General Catalyst</a> to follow our dreams and grow Ecologi to the scale needed to take on climate change in a significant way.
General Catalyst has a knack for turning their investments into household names: AirBnB, Deliveroo, Snapchat, Stripe, and Monzo to name just a few.
We know there’s room for the Spotify of Sustainability, and it’s with the resources of a leading investor that we can make this a reality, in a timeframe suitable for turning the proverbial Titanic around and reversing climate change over the critical decade ahead.
Before we started Ecologi, the idea was that we’d be set up as a non-profit organisation. Our mission is altruistic and that non-profit model aligned with our vision. As half of the world’s emissions have happened within the <a href="https://ieep.eu/news/more-than-half-of-all-co2-emissions-since-1751-emitted-in-the-last-30-years">lifetime of a 30-year-old</a>, there isn’t the luxury of time to grow traditionally through donations and slower ‘organic growth’. But, it didn’t take long to understand that to achieve Spotify-level scale, then you need Spotify-level capital to fulfil our potential impact.
It’s not just a sum of money that we were looking for, but a partner who wholly understands the delicate conditions which Ecologi needs to thrive: putting the planet first; complete transparency; keeping operational costs minimal; and staying ethical (see our decision to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/withdrawing-tech-nations-net-zero-elliot-coad/">withdraw from TechNation</a>).
Amongst 50 or so investors we spoke to, it was General Catalyst who fully understood this ethical tightrope with our long term plans to raise the bar on what it means to be a social enterprise. They gave examples of supporting one of their investments to donate over <a href="https://www.warbyparker.com/buy-a-pair-give-a-pair">eight million prescription glasses</a>; they set up a non-profit fund with excess profits from an ethical investment; also they understood that the future of Ecologi should be part-owned by our community via crowdfunding &#8211; an exciting development to own a stake in Ecologi and our planet too (more details at the end of this post).

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As we approach our 2nd birthday, we enter a new chapter with Ecologi that will be characterised with scale. Up to now, everything has been done on the tightest of budgets with our wonderful but tiny team. We look forward to progressing our climate impact exponentially as we race towards our target to reduce 50% of global emissions by 2040.
There is plenty we have in store. We want to actually show you the impact you’re making through storytelling and technology. We want to support projects that rewild our planet and fund innovative carbon removal technology. We want to show you your carbon footprint in real-time. We want to make good on the opportunity that can come out of rounding up the world’s pocket money and putting it into the world’s most impactful climate solutions.
Now we can, so no excuses! Let’s grow. 🌿
From Elliot, Lucy, Alex and the team here: thank you for your part in supporting this ray of climate hope 💚

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We showed a draft of this announcement to a few of our Ecologi subscribers and friendly critics and asked them what questions they had:
What will you spend the investment on?
Now’s the time to scale up our teams to enhance the platform, grow our climate projects procurement and reporting team, and expand our marketing and partnership teams. We’ll be a company of 40-60 people over the next 12 months. 
The investment will also allow us to buy larger quantities of certified carbon offsets and tree purchases upfront meaning we can plan better, get access to some projects we’d otherwise not be able to, and sometimes access better prices.
Some of the existing staff will be now paid the going rate for their level of expertise. None of the investment is to go on bonuses or dividends. 
Will we still operate Ecologi as we have done?
Absolutely yes.
If we are to be massively successful in our objectives it’s because we took on board everything that you needed us to be.
Is the source of the investment from profits of fossil fuel or high carbon industries?
No. It’s from a combination of pension funds that make investments in technology, and previous technology company profits. 
What is the investor expecting in return?
They will be looking to make a return on their investment, multiple times the amount they put in. And this is something that we can achieve and be entirely compatible with our journey. 
At some point in our future we’ll expect to come to the end of investment rounds and have a few options to suit us: be acquired and taken under the wing of a major future sustainability company; float on the stock market and be publicly owned; or even Ecologi makes their own investments in early-stage climate projects which yield their own returns. It’s far too early to say which financing route will come into effect but be assured that it’ll be a decision made with our mission in mind.
Investors will be expecting no dividends during this journey as any profits are to be reinvested back into the company.
How is Ecologi going to stay ethical?
As we grow, we will have the resources to upgrade our <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dACvzjE5nBE1cKZBAhYzsUa7rIiLJqCWXVgY4bNS8_Q/edit#gid=1742437033">transparency docs</a> and be a lot more verbose about what we’re up to. A quick run-through of what’s coming up: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In the queue to be B Corp certified, all prep governance work is complete; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A bonafide social enterprise with mission locked into our company documents; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Increased detail on our quarterly financial reports such as director salary info; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Regular “our door is always open”-style drop-in to chat with Elliot, the CEO, over Zoom;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Lifting the lid on what we’re up to with a “Building Ecologi” blog series.</li>
</ul>
Every person on the team and now investors included knows that we have our hearts fully set on creating a company that reimagines what it is to be a social enterprise. 
It’s going to take some doing, and bear with us as we get there. But please <a href="https://ecologi.com/pages/contact">drop us a line</a> on how we’re doing, as well maybe subscribe to our new <a href="https://medium.com/building-ecologi">Building Ecologi</a> series where we’ll talk about our plans out in the open and welcome your thoughts.

And finally, we’re thinking of running a crowdfunding campaign later this year. We’d love to <a href="https://ecologi.typeform.com/to/DMMimqA9">ask you five questions</a> that should take less than a minute to answer.

Blog

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Do you remember, somewhere in the fog of 2020, that period where the pandemic had seeped into every area of our lives but its exact contours and consequences hadn’t yet been established? That point after the initial panic was over, where people had begun to accept this new reality, and had started to consider where we might go from here? Somehow, amidst the horror of news screens filled with ventilated bodies and death counts scrolling ever upward, hope began to spring. Thoughtful, poetic articles began to emerge online about the deeper meaning of this event. Humanity had been given a chance to pause, to reflect, and perhaps &#8211; against all odds &#8211; change course. There was a cautious, quasi-spiritual sense that the planet was sending us a message, as if Mother Nature had realised that humans were not going to bring themselves back from the brink and was now taking the matter into her own hands. These visions of a better society were complemented by a raft of personal resolutions towards self-improvement: goals were set and new habits were inculcated, with the aim of returning after the pandemic a better you in a better world. It was as if we were all given the opportunity to zoom out, from our own lives but also society as a whole, to decide what was really important.
This sense of optimism seemed to be supported by palpable changes in our environment. Global emissions were down 7%; flights had dropped 96%; there were dolphins in Venice! These cracks of light in the gloom sustained us, made us feel as if the pandemic was really for something (beyond, well, surviving a pandemic). That is, there seemed to be a goal we were working towards, by which we could orientate our present reality, giving it some sense. And this was important. Hope sustains us in times of difficulty. It is the voice which reminds us no pain lasts forever, that the sun also rises.

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But it seems that somewhere along the way, this optimism began to give way to something else. Weariness. Disillusionment. As lockdown 2 almost imperceptibly melted into lockdown 3, as the term ‘wave’ began to lose all meaning because the Covid tide had never gone away, darker realities began to set in. Not only did we witness our governments continue to vacillate and send mixed messages, we saw huge opportunities to restructure our economy missed, the same old mistakes from the 2008 financial crisis repeated as ‘too big to fail’ industries such as aviation and steel were bailed out, with no climate-change mitigation requirements built into the rescue packages. Rather than being <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-leveller-trfn-idUSKCN21R30P" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘The Great Leveller’</a>, we saw this pandemic exacerbate existing inequalities, the wealth of the top 1% rising by $8 trillion during the pandemic whilst many ordinary people were reduced to government handouts. Working from home also removed access to an equal workspace and put increased pressure on those facing challenging circumstances in their home environment. And everywhere we looked we found ourselves adrift in a sea of plastic: the take-out diets triple-plastic wrapped to avoid contamination, the delivery packages ordered to punctuate the boredom of lockdown living, and of course the proliferation of that once unknown acronym: PPE. And perhaps most deflating of all, it turned out those dolphins had never been in Venice, that it was a piece of <a href="https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2020/03/23/sorry-but-the-dolphins-that-appeared-in-venice-is-fake-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fake news</a> exploiting the sense of hope in the air.
What happened here? Were we deluded to dream of a better future? Did we imagine something that never really could have been? 
No. It is never wrong to hope. And it did sustain us in those interminable lockdown months. Our error was in putting our hopes on an external event, in this notion that Covid had come to save us, as if it were some sort of geo-biological defense mechanism, the natural arc of history correcting itself. But an event can only be as significant as the responses which it generates. Which is to say, the significance of the pandemic was in the million daily acts of kindnesses which it elicited: the grocery collections for elderly and infirm neighbours, the selfless bravery of the frontline workers putting themselves and their families at risk for the greater good, the proactiveness of those who organised events and other forms of support for the most vulnerable. Without even realising it, without waiting for a sunny day where we would have the type of society that we wanted, we were building it in front of our very eyes. One based on solidarity, equality and community concern (all of which happen to be the very characteristics needed to pull us out of the climate crisis &#8211; since we are all sharing increasingly limited space and resources on this planet). What we needed wasn’t a deus ex machina to solve the problem. What we needed was to see that the world around us is a result of the values we hold as a society, and it is this we need to change. This means remembering that the same essential ties that bound us through the pandemic persist and it is along these ties that change is effected, not some grand narrative happening out there. After all, the planet doesn’t care &#8211; it is humans that will perish, not nature.

The pandemic certainly has and will create short term change. The US government has just initiated an unprecedented $1.9 trillion stimulus package which stands to halve national poverty for example. But if we forget the lessons that Covid taught us about our own ways of life, such socially-minded policies will quickly fade into memory. No cataclysm will prevent business as usual from returning. As the Cree Indian saying goes, “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.” We cannot wait for further wildfires, droughts and floods to jostle us into wakefulness. It is only through a wave of individuals coming together into communities, into a global movement, encompassing economics, energy, agriculture, and politics, that a truly sustainable way of life will be achieved. Outward events can point us in the direction, but we must walk the path. The steps need not be huge, but we must continue to take them. Reading or sharing this article. <a href="https://ecologi.com/plan">Subscribing to offset the carbon we produce</a>. Reducing meat consumption, <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/one-small-step-for-you-one-giant-impact-for-humankind">greening our finances</a> or <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/activism-how-the-drops-inside-the-ocean-are-breaking-down-the-dam">joining a movement</a>. Every step counts. But never question that it is you who must walk those steps. Far from being a lonely journey, the more you do, the more you will find the others who are walking it with you.

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Looking for some more info on our George The Poet video? You’ve come to the right place! It tells the story of the importance of sowing seeds of hope for the future generations and inspiring people to be part of something bigger: a community, a movement, a change… 
 
Lots of work went into the creation of this video &#8211; 11 crew members were involved in the overall production, through the creativity of Bristol-based agency <a href="https://www.enviral.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enviral</a>, who helped turn around this project in just 14 days.

George The Poet was our first choice for this campaign. He’s a firm favourite of both the Ecologi and Enviral teams, and we were so excited at the possibility of working alongside him. Putting aside his ability to produce and deliver incredible spoken word pieces, and the huge body of work that he can put his name to, he is a true champion of sustainability. 
That&#8217;s why we loved working with the team at Enviral on this project; because of their storytelling abilities. They understand the importance of conveying a genuine, engaging narrative. They knew George would be able to create something amazing, which oozed purpose and which reflected the passion of our Ecologi team. 
Having a lead who truly cares about the planet was vital. We wanted to inspire viewers to take action, and we couldn’t think of anyone better to get this across than George The Poet.

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With limited time, finding a suitable location was a bit of a challenge. We knew that the audio was the lead in this film so we had to find a location away from roads and airports so we could ensure crisp sound. Whilst we can’t reveal exactly where the film was shot, the countryside between London and Bristol proved to be perfect!

The video was directed by the Envival team, a sustainability-focused agency who were stoked to be working on a campaign they were so aligned with. The full Enviral production crew was brought together for the shoot including Joss as the Director, and their camera crew, audio team and photographer.

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What we did to comply with Covid regulations

Covid is real. Whilst we&#8217;re so happy to be back on set again, it&#8217;s super important to make sure that everyone is safe and comfortable. By following the industry guidelines, ensuring that everyone wore masks, respecting social distancing, and by shooting outdoors, we were able to mitigate the risks as much as possible and ensure a safe and successful shoot.

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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">George did 12 takes over the course of just 2 hrs</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">We had 11 crew on set in total</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The final video took 6 hours of colour grading to make it look perfect! </li>
</ul>

Delving deeper in to Coronavirus and the climate

Positive impacts of the coronavirus on our climate

Will the impact of the coronavirus on the climate be sustained?

Opportunities that lie in the coronavirus crisis

What will the new situation look like when we have this virus under control?

More posts

Ecologi, Chapter 2

There is no vaccine for the climate: connecting Covid-19 to climate change

Behind the scenes of the George The Poet video

We send good things