COVID-19: Climate Conversation

A Webinar with Professor Daniel Schrag of the Harvard University Earth and Planetary Sciences Department

4/13/20

Robert Powell

How will COVID-19 affect the transition to renewable energy in the United States and across the globe? Professor Schrag aimed to answer those questions last Monday at HUCEG’s first webinar event.

By simple intuition, and/or a rudimentary social media browsing session, we know that, right now, carbon emissions are tanking. Far fewer people are driving, factories across the world have halted production, flying is almost unthinkable and economic demand has slumped. Your first reaction is probably “Amazing!” But, COVID-19 and its economic tranquilizers won’t last forever (at least we all hope!). So what’s next?

Professor Schrag made it clear that energy transitions occur on decadal scales. We won’t wake up tomorrow, or even 5 years from now and see that every house has solar panels or that natural gas is a fuel of the past. According to Schrag, we most likely won’t see total reliance on renewables till as late as 2070.

On a more hopeful note, the COVID-19 pandemic might drive progress in the renewable energy space in two ways: Reawakening faith in science and scientists and encourage collective action needed to solve the climate problem. Although different in regional effects, COVID-19 and climate change are both collective action problems. Schrag hopes that perhaps society won’t forget the value of collective action in controlling a pandemic and will instead focus its energy on solving the looming and less immediate threat of climate change.

On the other hand, the pandemic’s economic consequences may eliminate necessary financial resources for investment in renewable energy infrastructure. Schrag made it clear that the cheapest energy production option right now is maintaining current fossil-fuel based infrastructure. Less resources for investment as a result of the COVID-19 economic downturn could stall renewable energy projects not only in the United States, but across the globe.

Ensuring continued renewable resource development could rely heavily on the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus bill and its coming successors. Schrag brought up provisions made in the 2008/2009 financial crisis stimulus aimed at developing wind and solar technologies, but expressed doubt regarding the inclusion and improvement of such goals given the current political lean in Washington. If provisions were to be made, his recommendation for renewable related stimulus focused on building capacity for the growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles, etc. So if renewable energy does get a boost from the massive current government spending, it should be used to facilitate future growth of clean technologies.