Sir, – This pandemic provides a unique opportunity to look ahead and consider how global and national economies should be reconstructed when this emergency has passed.
If future development is to be sustainable, then social, environmental and economic considerations have to be given equal weight.
The threats posed by global climate change, biodiversity loss, and air and water pollution need to be confronted on a global scale in a manner similar to the campaign against the virus.
Now that we have lots of time on our hands, could we ask our best and brightest people to propose different models of development that will meet the needs of people without harming the environment? If we fail to adopt a new model for the future, we may squander the opportunity that this pandemic provides and run a serious risk of “getting back to normal”. – Yours, etc,
PADRAIC LARKIN
Ennis,
Co Clare.