How Climate Change and Coronavirus have shaped our lives and what we can do to overcome them.

Our behaviours changed overnight in response to this pandemic crisis as a combination of strict government directives and self-preservation. The collective effort that most countries have put in place and their swift reactions to the public health emergency has shown that it is possible to change society quickly enough to tackle a global emergency. Can we not adopt the same attitude, using the skills and resilience developed to tackle the pandemic to mitigate the climate emergency? Harm from climate change, long talked about, is both significant and long lasting and we need to act now to put in place the same collective effort.

 

The impact of COVID-19 has had several unintended climate benefits: during the lockdown, London carbon emissions fell by 59% and air quality dramatically improved proving that enforced low-carbon behaviours do have an impact on tackling the climate crisis. But we need to go beyond the short-term effect and take a long-term perspective. Decarbonisation urges changes in the way we live our lives, and the way we run and build our cities. There is an insatiable need for ‘power’ to fuel London’s population growth and demand for buildings to serve the needs of the people. Our lifestyle and idea of comfort has, over time, directly impacted this energy need. The way we heat, cool and power our buildings, how we travel and what we eat has driven energy demand, but crucially is it possible to maintain our lifestyle whilst using less energy and reducing carbon emissions to meet London aspiration to become net-zero by 2050?

 

There is however the risk of the global economic recession undermining the transition to a low carbon future if Government decides to address the near-term economic recovery at the expense of environmental protection. The current situation is a unique opportunity to convert the current crisis into a turning point in the global response to climate change, by accelerating the process of taking radical action. Hilson Moran’s collective knowledge and expertise within the property and construction industry has pushed us to shape a vision in those areas whose scale of change needs to be considerable to effectively tackle the climate crisis.

2050 Vision

We don’t know what our service infrastructure (energy, water and waste) will look like in 30-years’ time, but major decisions need to be made now and supported by entrenched market practices to become accessible and affordable. We believe that everyone has to play a role in driving change and helping to define the socio-technical process that will overhaul service infrastructure.

Surviving

Mobility allows us to connect with places and shapes the way we live. During lockdown, our behaviour has changed and most people have walked and cycled more than ever before. In a long term vision, we know that advances in data science, digital technology and automation will offer the opportunity to transform mobility patterns towards a more sustainable model, where people’s behaviour will be at the heart of an integrated system.

Moving

In the last few months, the boundaries between private and working life have been blurred. The way we live will change in the future and a low-carbon housing vision must address both socio-economical and technical challenges. People’s acceptance of low-carbon housing is not just a matter of choosing the right technical solution, it needs to be enforced by the idea of home embodying broader values of comfort, security, cost and environmental benefits.

Living/working

Businesses are increasingly conscious of the importance of the health and happiness of their employees and what their expectations are from the work environment. Occupant comfort and wellbeing are driving the carbon agenda, but how will office design change as smart working continues to remain peoples’ preference?

Working

In a globalised economy, our choices affect the natural environment, biodiversity, and local communities. Affordable flights have enabled a social equality in exploring the world, but is making the environment sick. Altering our dietary habits or becoming a more responsible consumer can reduce our carbon footprint. How willing are we as individual to take a step forward a more sustainable future?

Consuming