May 2020 - This Month in Public Policy (Coronavirus, Democracy, and More)

Photo by Mika Baumeister

Here’s the best of what we’ve read over the last month.

“But experts cautioned that the drop should not be seen as good news for efforts to tackle climate change. When the pandemic subsides and nations take steps to restart their economies, emissions could easily soar again unless governments make concerted efforts to shift to cleaner energy as part of their recovery efforts.”
— Emissions Declines Will Set Records This Year. But It’s Not Good News. (The New York Times)

“Working from home and driving less can lower emissions, but these efforts aren’t sustainable without system-wide changes to help people make these choices voluntarily. For instance, some cities are closing off streets to cars, creating more open spaces for pedestrians and cyclists to flourish. This is but a small example of the type of permanent changes society needs to become carbon-free.”
— ‘First Ever’ Near Real-Time Analysis of Global Carbon Emissions Reveals Coronavirus Impacts (Earther)

“What all three scenarios agree on is this: There is virtually no chance Covid-19 will end when the world bids good riddance to a calamitous 2020. The reason is the same as why the disease has taken such a toll its first time through: No one had immunity to the new coronavirus.”
— Three potential futures for Covid-19: recurring small outbreaks, a monster wave, or a persistent crisis (STAT)

“During the economic slowdown that has resulted from stay-at-home orders, renewable energy is getting a boost. Power generation from sources like solar, wind and hydropower have overtaken coal-fired power in the United States for a record 40 straight days.”
— Renewable energy has now produced more electricity in the U.S. than coal for 40 days straight (CBS News)

“The future of electoral democracy in the United States is, without exaggeration, at risk. While a global pandemic and economic meltdown could provide a pretext for this threat, it does not come from abroad. Instead the threat comes from our own elected leader, the President of the United States—and those who know him best, know this to be true.”
— The Looming Crisis of Emergency Powers and Holding the 2020 Presidential Election (Just Security)

“American democracy was inspired by Indigenous example. By the time the first Europeans appeared in the hardwood forests along the Hudson River (Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mohican), the Haudenosaunee peoples had already been organized into a self-governing commonwealth for some 15 generations.”
— Native Americans Helped Invent American Democracy But Are Often Prevented From Practicing It (Sierra)