Frontline workers, first responders, scientists and government agencies are doing heroic work to flatten the curve and save lives amidst the current pandemic. What may lie ahead of the curve? This is a collection of ‘big picture’ thinking, articles that give us hope that there’s a silver lining. There’s good beyond the bad and ugly. How might the world change post-COVID19? Are we going to return to normal or start a new normal? I hope you will find inspiration in some of these ideas and visions.
Coronavirus: The good that can come out of an upside-down world
“A world with more kindness and creativity is one to look forward to. We would be reaching out for new solutions, rebelling against outmoded ideas, but in a spirit of collaboration, helping us to become successful. As one psychologist put it: “According to conventional wisdom, highly successful people have three things in common: motivation, ability and opportunity…. [but] there is a fourth ingredient: success depends heavily on how we approach our interactions with other people. Do we try to claim as much value [for ourselves] as we can, or do we contribute value? It turns out that these choices have staggering consequences for success.” Matthew Syed
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52094332
Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How.
“No one knows exactly what will come, but here is our best stab at a guide to the unknown ways that society—government, healthcare, the economy, our lifestyles and more—will change. Here are 34 big thinkers’ predictions for what’s to come.”
Coronavirus offers “a blank page for a new beginning” says Li Edelkoort
“For several years we have understood that in order to survive as a species and to keep the planet going we need to make draconian changes to the way we live, travel, consume and entertain. There is no way we can continue to produce as many goods and the many choices we have grown accustomed to. The debilitating mass of information about nothing at all has numbed our culture. There is a growing awareness amongst younger generations that ownership and the hoarding of clothes and cars is no longer even attractive.”
https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/09/li-edelkoort-coronavirus-reset/
Let’s never return to normal
“We need to use the tsunami of Covid-19 to position ourselves better for the creeping tide of climate change. Trying to solve these two profound challenges separately is impossible. Personally and collectively, the old normal of December last year is off-limits to us now. The worst we could do is try to get back there.” Sam McGlennon
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/03/26/1098460/lets-never-return-to-normal
Paul Polman: ‘Coronavirus is an acid test for stakeholder capitalism’
“I hope that many companies will not only do the right thing right now to help protect the vulnerable, but that it is a real tipping point on what responsible business should look like.” Paul Polman
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/paul-polman-coronavirus-acid-test-stakeholder-capitalism
How changes brought on by coronavirus could help tackle climate change
“The coronavirus pandemic will not turn around the long-term upward trend in global emissions. But governments around the world are announcing economic stimulus measures, and they way they’re spent may affect how emissions evolve in future. There is an opportunity to invest the stimulus money in structural changes leading to reduced emissions after economic growth returns, such as further development of clean technologies.” Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research – Oslo
Here’s what a coronavirus-like response to the climate crisis would look like
“We asked eight scientists, activists and other experts what a coronavirus-like response to climate change would look like, and what we can learn from the pandemic.”
Coronavirus Pandemic Could Elevate ESG Factors
“Environmental, social and governance investing was growing in popularity before the virus began to circulate, as investors flocked to companies that have taken steps to manage nonfinancial risks related to matters such as climate change, board diversity or human rights issues in the supply chain.
But the pandemic has demonstrated on a large scale the importance of other factors that are paramount to ESG investors. Among them: disaster preparedness, continuity planning and employee treatment through benefits such as paid sick leave as companies direct employees to work from home.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-pandemic-could-elevate-esg-factors-11585167518
Coronavirus Will Trigger ‘Skyward Surge’ in ESG
“Investors are increasingly aware that it is possible – and increasingly necessary – to make a profit while positively and proactively protecting people and the planet,” he said. “As such, they will be making investment decisions after measuring the sustainability and societal impact of a sector or company as these criteria help to better determine their future financial performance, or in other words their risk and return.” Nigel Green
https://www.marketsmedia.com/coronavirus-will-trigger-skyward-surge-in-esg/