The Covid pandemic has prompted a rethink of a great many behaviors, from where we live and work to what jobs are considered crucial to our way of life. Nowhere has this pause for thought been more evident than in the sustainability of our lives.
The various lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus not only significantly reduced our mobility, and the emissions associated with travel, but also prompted us to crave greenery in our local environment, with demand for gardens, parks, and other green spaces soaring.
With lockdown measures easing across much of Europe, there is a strong temptation for people to rush back to some semblance of normality again, but a new paper from the Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST) urges us to take advantage of the shift towards greener behaviors during the pandemic and try to lock them in now so that they endure once the pandemic eases.
Open to change
The authors, from the Universities of Bath and Cardiff, argue that the most effective interventions occur when our habits are both at their weakest and also at their most malleable to change.
The key is the theory of “habit discontinuity”, which posits that significant changes in our lives provide us with a tantalizing window of opportunity to make lasting changes to our habits and behaviors. With pandemics thankfully quite rare, it is a theory with its roots in other significant life events, such as losing a job or moving house.
When we move house, for instance, it is usually a good time to also try and implement changes in our commuting habits. We might move from driving to work to cycling, for example. It’s a change that the authors found can last for a few months, but even then it’s hard for the changes to stick into the long-term.
Sustainable behaviors
The authors focus their attention on a number of priority areas where they believe personal actions can be effective in reducing emissions, especially in terms of meeting the UK’s ambitious net-zero emissions target. These actions may include flying less or eating less red meat.
Surveys conducted by the team throughout the pandemic revealed a considerable reduction in the individual carbon footprint of people across the UK, due both to a reduction in our mobility and also in our buying habits. It has also reinforced our desire to take action to improve the climate.
For instance, a recent survey conducted to coincide with Earth Day showed that the public is willing to make significant changes to tackle climate change, with the overwhelming majority agreeing with the fact that if we don’t make changes now it will be too late.
Time has come
The authors argue that Covid has presented the most significant change to our lifestyle since the Second World War, with many of these changes positive ones for the environment. They urge employers, policymakers, and governments to introduce measures now that help to lock in these positive habits and behaviors so that the post-Covid recovery is a green and sustainable one.
It’s undoubtedly been a difficult year in so many ways, but with societal change it is often the first step that is the hardest. Covid has in many ways forced our hand and enabled us to push past this initial challenge and we are now used to behaviors that are healthier for the planet. The key now is to work to ensure those behaviors endure and we settle into a low-carbon way of life.
