Revert to what is essential amid global COVID-19 outbreak

As the WHO raises its risk assessment for the disease to its highest level and well over 50 countries report cases, the concept of what is essential arises. International travelers are well-aware of the term in travel warnings. For example, from the UK, "The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all but essential travel to Daegu and Cheongdo due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak." However, what is essential needs careful consideration in a global outbreak.

The world economy needs to keep ticking over and supply chains need to be maintained. China, where there are now fewer new cases reported than outside the country, is cautiously ramping up production in the world's manufacturing workshop. Areas have been designated as high-risk (including Central China‘s Hubei province), medium-risk and low-risk, such as the Yangtze River Delta, led by Shanghai. Hence workers can return to factories and use public transport but with temperature testing, masks and other hygiene factors, such as only dining together in small numbers with appropriate distance between individuals.

However, it is not essential right now that all office staff return to their workplace, that schools and universities re-open or sports events take place. The onslaught of the virus has coincided with an era of rapid development of digital technology and ever more concern for the environment. This combination is likely to promote enduring reflections on what is essential. I recall long commutes, edging forward in heavy traffic into Central London many years ago. The roads were busy going in from A, where I lived, to B, where I worked, but equally busy in the opposite direction. I often thought, if most of those living in A could work near A and most of those living in B could work near B, wouldn’t our environment be so much better and air cleaner in the city? With digital technology this is possible with regular home working (sometimes called tele-commuting).

Is it essential for an office worker to travel in on a long commute, to open their laptop on their desk, chat occasionally with a nearby colleague and a few times a week attend a group meeting with the team leader? All of this can be done in a multipurpose lounge at home with support of Zoom, Skype, WeChat and so on, according to country. Perhaps come into office once a week and use hot-desking? Office buildings would need less floor area and perhaps inner cities could have more green space? The same issues arise with that popular activity of business travel, often international, where the main communication purposes can be achieved as above. Again, an initial meeting with a colleague overseas can cement a relationship and familiarize with an environment, but after that let WeChat video rule!

Of course, these methods, including the use of online teaching in schools and universities, are an essential part of the response to the coronavirus challenge, but is there any reason why globally some of them could not be part of a new normal? In London, it was just announced that plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport had not been approved on environmental grounds because of the increased carbon footprint. Greta Thunberg, the schoolgirl fronting the climate action movement, was in Bristol, England at the same time to remind a large crowd of the urgency of action to save the planet. She noted that the expansion of Bristol Airport had not been approved on environmental grounds. Commercial aircraft contribute significantly to pollution and ongoing travel demand (outside limited holiday travel periods) is supported by business travel, including governmental. Airport expansion assumes this will always grow but it need not with more efficient communication methods. We can add the efforts of environmental groups to encourage travel by cleaner energy trains and low emission buses – China provides strong examples of both.

Returning to the current global challenges, indeed international travel is declining to restrict the spread of the coronavirus, and recently, according to Business Insider, at least 62 airlines announced cancelation of some flights, not including flights with China, partly due to lack of demand. Perhaps some of those flights will not need to be reinstated? Looking ahead, as AI and robotics develop, more and more production will be possible without many workers and disease-proof factories could have arisen by the time the next periodic virus arises from some part of the world. The outbreak requires short-term action, which will surely slow the world economy overall, but it may produce a chance to move to more environmentally-friendly economic growth as the world emerges from it.

Colin Speakman is an economist and an international educator with CAPA: The Global Education Network.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.