By Todd E. Vachon
In many ways, COVID-19 presages even greater suffering yet to come.
The death, fear, and economic ruin are just a taste of what will happen if we do not take dramatic and immediate steps to address climate change. Continued global warming could lead to multiple, simultaneous climate disasters occurring on a regular basis. Category Five hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast at the same time as massive wildfires in the West, extreme flooding in the Midwest, and heatwaves in the Northeast could place the country in a near constant state of emergency. Unfortunately, the federal government’s capacity and response during the current pandemic do not offer much hope for Americans facing future climate disasters.
Since the first coronavirus case hit America on Jan. 21, we have experienced the high cost of decades of privatization, deregulation, cuts to the social safety net and a general prioritization of corporate interests over human needs. Through the lack of paid sick time, inadequate unemployment benefits, uneven access to healthcare, and unequal broadband access for students, the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the deep structural inequalities that define our contemporary society.
More than 127,000 Americans have died, disproportionately the most vulnerable in society: the elderly, the poor and people of color. Unemployment is rising at the fastest rate since the 2008 crash, with nearly 25 million claiming benefits in early May, representing 20% of the U.S. labor force — more than double the unemployment rate of the Great Recession.
Vital government agencies have been defunded, understaffed or put under the charge of industry hacks who do not believe in the missions of the agencies they are tasked with running. The production of vital healthcare equipment has been outsourced in pursuit of cheaper labor and lax environmental regulations. And perhaps worst of all, the Trump administration has refused to use all the tools at its disposal to protect American lives. These ideologically driven actions have left the federal government incapable of marshaling the health and safety equipment needed to help critically ill Americans and protect the courageous first responders and healthcare workers trying to save them.
That’s why I’ve joined with fellow policy experts, labor leaders, and scholars in calling for a Green Stimulus and an Emergency Green New Deal (EGND) to not only get our economy back up and running after the COVID-19 crisis but also to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters and to increase our general preparedness for all disasters. Such an effort would strengthen the social safety net, decouple health insurance from employment, and create millions of family-sustaining green jobs while accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.
The EGND could start with a federal jobs program, putting unemployed Americans to work wherever they can be safely deployed. This would include care jobs, such as health care, education, social work and food supply work — occupations that are a central part of a sustainable economy. This jobs program could be expanded and made permanent as part of the broader Green New Deal plan to address climate change and inequality, building the kinds of infrastructure and institutions that can ensure our collective health and safety.
Our response should be guided by the “5 Principles for Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus,” as put forward by more than 300 environmental, justice, labor, and social movement organizations: (1) Health is the top priority, for all people, with no exceptions; (2) Provide economic relief directly to the people; (3) Rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives; (4) Make a down payment on a regenerative economy, while preventing future crises and (5) Protect our democratic process while protecting each other.
Despite the widespread fear that has been caused by COVID-19, many believe we will be able to get back to something approximating “normal” at some point in the not-too-distant future. However, when climate change strikes there is no hope for a fast-acting vaccine. Unlike with most viruses, humans don’t become immune to climate disasters after they have had one. Our current feelings of unease and uncertainty about the economy and the future could become the new normal unless we make a serious effort to change course now.
Our actions to confront COVID-19 in the weeks and months ahead will not only make a real difference in people’s lives immediately, but they can help us orient ourselves toward a more just and sustainable future.
Todd E. Vachon is the faculty coordinator of our Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN) in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
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