Policy Analysis by Joelle El Sheikh, Staff Writer

December 31st, 2020

2020 has been the year of surprises. From a global pandemic to a crippling economy, nations all around the world struggled to get through what is arguably the most challenging 12 months of the 21st century. Now that they year is coming to an end, it only seems fitting to take out that notebook and write down our 2021 resolutions. 

While finding a new hobby or losing weight seem like reasonable resolutions for the upcoming year, the international community has much more pressing issues to worry about. It remains an unfortunate reality that global issue are vast and complex and cannot be solved within a year. However, there needs to be a unified focus on those issues that the world has failed to address properly, and whose deadly consequences we are witnessing today. 

 

Resolution #1: Climate Change

2020 is arguable the worst year for climate change. Extreme weathers throughout the globe have reached an all-time high, with events even shattering world records. The National Centers for Environmental Information reports that as of October 7, 2020, there have been 16 weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect the US[1]. The most notable event were the record wildfires raging all across America, and more specifically, in the state of California, where fires have consumed over 4 million acres since the beginning of 2020, twice more than the 2018 record. This pattern is also found in Australia, where, towards the beginning of the year, fires burned through an estimated 11 million hectares, killing at least 34 people and destroying about 6,000 buildings since early July[2]. About 1.5 billion animals also died as a result. A study published on March 4 reveals that, “Human-caused climate change made southeastern Australia’s devastating wildfires during 2019–2020 at least 30 percent more likely to occur”[3]. The year 2020 is also now the second warmest year on record, following 2019. Last but certainly not least, some regions in the Arctic recorded all-time high temperatures during this summer, and the state of the Arctic is in serious danger. 

It is thus crystal clear that leaders all around the world have miserably failed to adhere to the incredibly dangerous issue of climate change. In fact, if it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change would have been the most talked about issue of the year. Now that we have settled the importance of including climate change in our 2021 resolution, it’s time to talk about the best strategy to combat it. Luckily, Denmark saved the day, or in this case, the world. According to the recent climate law passed in Denmark, if the residing government fails to accomplish its climate targets, it will be held accountable. This makes disregarding climate change almost illegal. Denmark used an evidence-based approach to calculate the exact amount of emissions that need to be reduced to reach their climate target. In other words, Denmark needs to reduce emissions 70% by 2030. According to Future Planet, “This legally binding science-based target is the backbone of its new law.”[4] Therefore, instead of making grand speeches and theoretically setting uncalculated goals, countries can follow in Denmark’s footsteps and actually live up to the climate-based targets made in international agreements, as well as national policies and laws. There is no doubt that climate change will only get worse if we do not get better. Although scientists say that the effects of climate change are now irreversible, it is not too late to start saving our planet, and consequently, ourselves. 

 

Resolution #2: Health Emergencies & Pandemics 

         Rarely do we ever encounter a situation where all countries, with no differentiation whatsoever, experience the same reality: A growing pandemic. The reason why this is significant is to pinpoint the different strategies used to combat the virus, of which some failed miserably, and some succeeded exceptionally. The United States, for instance, belongs to the former of strategies, while New Zealand belongs to the latter. With patients exceeding 70 million and deaths well above 1 million, the world, once again, fell short in facing a deadly issue. Despite our incredible scientific and medical advancement, countries faced unprecedented difficulties in terms of containing the spread of the virus, purchasing enough hospital machinery (ventilators & masks), as well as efficient testing patterns. The point, however, is not to scold the countries who failed to combat the virus, nor is it to view the coronavirus as a test to for liberal and authoritarian regimes, but rather learn from the countries that responded quickly and effectively.

         Looking further back into history, most Asian technocracies have gone through health outbreaks such as SARS in 2002 and H1N1 in 2001, a factor that strengthened their response when it came to the coronavirus pandemic. Taiwan, for instance, accumulated “millions of surgical masks, coveralls, and N95 respirators for medical staff, and kept tens of millions more for the public.”[5] Japan and Hong Kong shut their schools early, Singapore decided to keep them open[6]. They acted differently, but they acted quickly, and that’s what mattered. Technology also played a vital role in “tracking” the virus and keeping it under control. A prime example is China’s invasive surveillance system that managed to reach millions of citizens. Rapid testing proved to be extremely efficient in South Korea, where local medical companies were forced to work together to develop new testing kits. Additionally, one factor that was and still is greatly undermined during the 2020 pandemic is transparency and clear communication. China has been greatly criticized for not opening communication channels and warning other countries very early on about the seriousness of the virus. Media coverage was initially muted, and doctors who tried to sound the alarm on the danger of the virus were silenced. Clearly, that strategy failed. Transparency remains a crucial element to the unified response to any pandemic or health emergency. Although the world might not witness another pandemic anytime soon, if there’s one thing we can learn from this one is to never underestimate the need to be prepared (financially, physically, and economically) and always act fast, and act smart. 

 

Resolution #3: Financial Inequality

         The coronavirus pandemic unveiled various flaws in the international and national system. One of the strongest indicators of these flaws is the economy. More specifically, the socio-economic conditions of citizens after millions lost their jobs due to the widespread closings of shops, as well as bankruptcy due to low production and sales. Households were left with the huge burden of financing their daily lives (education, housing, healthcare, etc.), to which many governments around the world accounted for with stimulus checks and other financial and social reliefs. However, and as surprising as this may sound, the pandemic was not a financial burden on everyone. In fact, an analysis by Chuck Collins at the Institute for Policy Studies found that “American billionaires have seen their wealth grow by $1 trillion since March of this year - more than 34 percent.”[7] The very short list includes Elon Musk (with his wealth growing over $100 billion since the start of the pandemic), Jeff Bezos (almost $70 billion increase), and Dan Gilbert (chairman of Quicken Loans; saw his wealth rocket by over $37 billion)[8]. Even more shocking is the financial inequality in the U.S. today, where “U.S. billionaires own $4 trillion, 3.5 percent of all privately held wealth in the country.”[9] This analysis states that billionaire wealth is now “twice the amount of wealth held by the bottom 50 percent of all American households combined, approximately 160 million people.”[10]

         This is not to say that the pandemic is supposed to make your life financially worse-on the contrary, it simply serves to show how the system lives up to its slogan, “the poor get poorer and the rich get richer”. In fact, it can be argued that the COVID-19 recession is the most unequal in modern U.S. history[11]. The main issue is concentrated in the fact that the “costs of the pandemic are being borne disproportionately by poorer segments of society.”[12] Low-income populations are more likely to experience the severe effects of the pandemic, including job losses and decline in well-being. Rising inequality has had its fair share of political and economic consequences over the years, and now, the pandemic has unlocked an even bigger level of economic and societal fragility. According to Brookings, 

“The pandemic is not only exacerbated by the deprivations and vulnerabilities of those left behind by rising inequality but its fallout is pushing inequality higher.”[13]

In order to tackle the issue head-on, we must first understand the main reasons behind this incredible rise in inequality. Income distribution is impacted by a vast number of factors including digital technology, Globalization, a weak or almost non-existent redistributive role of the state, and today, the pandemic. Containing the pandemic remains the first and foremost priority to address the financial atrocities citizens are forced to go through today. However, immediately after that, the way forward is more responsive policies with inclusive outcomes. In terms of redistribution, tax and transfer policies are an important track to follow, mainly establishing new distributional dynamics. However, a more effective strategy is working on the growth process itself, and making it more inclusive. Dani Rodrik, a Turkish economist and Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, told project Syndicate,

“A more effective use of public investment and tax policies on research and development can help ‘democratize’ the innovation system so that it serves broader economic and social goals rather than narrow interests of a small group of investors.”[14]

There is no doubt that inequality has remained on the list of priorities for the international system for decades; however, after the pandemic, there is a desperate need to prepare for the next stages of globalization through open access and fair completion. 

 

As bad as 2020 was for the world, 2021 will only be worse if we’re not prepared to efficiently get a grip on global issues. This resolution is quite short, but speaks volume. Words are not enough to emphasize the need to prioritize these resolution for the upcoming year, but numbers are. Our reality is a living example of why the world should do better. While a good amount of responsibility falls on average citizens, the bigger portion is traced back to leaders, policy-makers, and government bodies. They are equipped with enough knowledge and experience of the consequences of ignorance to know that it never leads to anything but crises, chaos, and catastrophe. The pandemic, as bad as it still is, reminded us about the importance of sacrifice, compromise, and unity. Without them, there can never be light for the world. Here’s to our 2021 resolutions, the personal and the global. 

[1] Anusuya Datta, “Here’s why 2020 is the worst year so far in terms of Climate Change”, https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/heres-why-2020-is-the-worst-year-so-far-in-terms-of-climate-change/

[2] Carolyn Gramling, “Australia’s wildfires have now been linked to climate change”, ScienceNews, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/australia-wildfires-climate-change#:~:text=Human%2Dcaused%20climate%20change%20made,study%20published%20online%20March%204.&text=%E2%80%9CWe%20put%20the%20lower%20boundary,much%20more%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.

[3] https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/bushfires-in-australia-2019-2020/

[4] Jocelyn Timperley, “The law that could make climate change illegal”, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200706-the-law-that-could-make-climate-change-illegal

[5] James Crabtree, “How to manage a pandemic”, MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/14/999239/how-to-manage-a-pandemic-covid-asia-vs-west/

[6] James Crabtree, “How to manage a pandemic”, MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/14/999239/how-to-manage-a-pandemic-covid-asia-vs-west/

[7] Niall McCarthy, “U.S. Billionaires Gained $1 Trillion Since The Pandemic Started”, Statista https://www.statista.com/chart/22068/change-in-wealth-of-billionaires-during-pandemic/

[8] INEQUALITY, https://inequality.org/great-divide/u-s-billionaire-wealth-surges-past-1-trillion-since-beginning-of-pandemic/

[9] INEQUALITY, https://inequality.org/great-divide/u-s-billionaire-wealth-surges-past-1-trillion-since-beginning-of-pandemic/

[10] INEQUALITY, https://inequality.org/great-divide/u-s-billionaire-wealth-surges-past-1-trillion-since-beginning-of-pandemic/

[11] Heather Long, Andrew Van Dam, Alyssa Fowers and Leslie Shapiro, “The covid-19 recession is the most unequal in modern U.S. history,” The Washington Post, September 30, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/business/coronavirus-recession-equality/. 

[12] Zia Qureshi, “Tackling the inequality pandemic: Is there a cure?”, https://www.brookings.edu/research/tackling-the-inequality-pandemic-is-there-a-cure/#footnote-1

[13] Zia Qureshi, “Tackling the inequality pandemic: Is there a cure?”, https://www.brookings.edu/research/tackling-the-inequality-pandemic-is-there-a-cure/#footnote-1

[14] https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/policymakers-should-influence-course-of-technological-innovation-by-dani-rodrik-2020-08?barrier=accesspaylog