Opportunists in a Covid-19 World

A number of groups have argued that the Covid-19 pandemic should provide an opportunity for countries to rethink their environmental priorities. Some of the same people have, however, noted, with alarm, that many of the environmentally-problematic sectors (including aviation, farming, fossil fuels, motor, plastics and timber) have proved to be opportunistic in both claiming billions of dollars in bail-outs and, in some cases, reversing legislation designed to protect the natural world (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/17/coronavirus-profiteers-condemned-as-polluters-gain-bailout-billions). Environmentalists shouldn't, of course, be too surprised as many of the movers and shakers in these sectors are well-practised (and very well-resourced) in terms of maximising their benefits under all circumstances (that's how they have survived and grown). Making a case for doing things differently was never going to be easy, especially when many economies are going to be profoundly damaged by the end of lockdown.