Moment of Science

In 1979, a federally commissioned study led by meteorology pioneer, MIT professor Jule Charney, told the nation something it was not ready to hear: “We now have incontrovertible evidence that the atmosphere is indeed changing, and we ourselves contribute to that change.”

Today we can mourn the lost time and regret the missed warnings. But hope instead that we can channel our energy into teaching ourselves, as a society, to finally begin listening to planetary warnings the way we listen in an emergency.

The current enforced isolation and economic deep freeze are temporary measures. But there is value in having stretched the limits of what we can picture in terms of human adaptation, and in proving that, like generations before us, we do have the capacity to take action together.

We can seize this disruptive moment to reassess business as usual in every dimension, including those that drive climate change. As we look for system-scale climate solutions, what entrenched habits, patterns, and assumptions could we rethink, reassess, or cast aside? And in the struggle to restore the economy, can we find new opportunities to create the jobs people desperately need in industries that help reduce carbon emissions and make society more resilient?

Amid so much suffering and disruption, it can be difficult to tell one day from another, never mind focus on another societal threat. But by observing how humanity is confronting the immediate challenges of COVID-19, we can find the courage and insight to create the resilient, forward-looking society we need.