3 Ways to Avoid Turning Climate Change into the Next Global Crisis

June 4, 2020

Illustration of the earth wearing a surgical mask.

Coronavirus has really brought this country — and our economy — to its knees. We’ve lost more than 350,000 people to this virus — and, five months in, the crisis is far from being over. 

But we had to wonder — why was it such a surprise? Experts warned us about the potential for a global pandemic to cripple the world years ago. The signs were everywhere — but our administration still didn’t listen until it was too late. Way too late.

Wait — haven’t we heard this before? If you’re finding this all mind-blowingly similar to the discussion around climate change, you’re not alone. And, just like coronavirus back in December 2019, climate change is a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. There are some pretty powerful parallels between the current crisis and the threat of climate change, and we’re thinking it’s time to make a loud enough racket so that this time our government will pay attention — before it’s too late.

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  1. We Have to Heed the Warnings

    We had plenty of advance notice that there was a deadly virus headed our way. We also have one of the most advanced medical systems in the world. And yet, we became the global epicenter of the virus. Why? President Trump sat on the data — to deadly effect. His administration willfully ignored the statistics, even when coronavirus wasn’t some theoretical scenario, but a fast-moving and fatal global pandemic. The same is happening with climate change. Scientists first warned us about global warming 40 years ago (or longer) — yet we’ve done nothing but make the planet even hotter.

    Trump ignored the warning about COVID-19, too. As a result, this week marks 1.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US. It didn’t have to be like this. If our administration had listened to the experts, taken them seriously, and prepared for this diligently, a lot more people would be alive and well today.

  2. We Have to Face the Facts

    Here’s something to chew on: 97% of climate scientists agree that human activity (that is, our overuse of fossil fuels) is creating a climate crisis around the world. Here’s another one: Climate change causes at least 250,000 deaths per year from causes such as malaria, diarrhea, heat stress, and malnutrition. We can’t allow this administration to take “the coronavirus approach” (i.e., pretend it’s not happening, blame others for it, or wish it away) to climate change. Climate change is real. It’s not a hoax. We have to listen to what the experts are saying — and we have to act now.

  3. We Have to Move Quickly

    We can’t get a “redo” on our flawed response to COVID-19. But we might be able to harness what we learned to help tackle climate change. Unlike coronavirus, we already know the cure for a warming planet: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We already have many of the tools we need to transition to more renewable energy — the knowledge, the feasibility studies, and the desperate need to make it happen — but we’ve been lacking two things: political leadership and money. Somehow, Congress has found the funds to bail out corporations and take care of the rich. So we couldn’t help but wonder: Could that federal stimulus money actually be used to jumpstart a greener economy?

    World Resources Institute thinks it can. Hundreds of huge corporations (including Microsoft, Visa, Nestlé, and our parent company, Unilever) are also on board, and have put together an initiative called LEAD on Climate 2020 that calls on members of Congress to pass an economic recovery plan that recognizes the need for a “resilient, clean energy economy.” Pretty cool way to restart the economy (when safe to do so), while also doing triage on our ailing planet, right?

What You Can Do to Help

As an ice cream company, we know: “If it’s melted, it’s ruined.” We also know that we can’t go back in time to “fix” the mistakes of coronavirus. But we can move forward — cone held high — to take action on climate change before it's too late. Stand with us and join the movement as we work together for a greener, healthier future — one that starts now.

Take Action Now!
Join The Climate Movement
Take Action