Amid the coronavirus crisis, some are calling for a deferral of European ecological action. Yet unsustainable food systems are one source of new human diseases, writes EEB’s EU Policy Director Patrick ten Brink.

As COVID-19 tightens its grip around the world, there is no doubt that saving lives must remain the priority of the immediate response. It is our collective responsibility to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading further and to help all those affected.

Yet a fierce struggle is going on in parallel. And, as enormous decisions are taken, the ramifications for society could be huge.

A few voices in politics and industry, notably the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, and members of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, are already leaping on what they see as an opportunity to argue that environmental commitments by the European Union—most notably the European Green Deal – must be paused, even rolled back. Their claim is that we simply cannot afford to deal with climate breakdown, biodiversity collapse, water scarcity and ecosystem destruction right now.

Yet what we can’t afford is not to do so. To suggest dealing with one crisis but not another is not just a false choice: common solutions can help tackle both.

Returning to ‘business as usual’ would be a historic mistake. As we recover from Covid-19, we don’t just need to restart the economy – we need to rebuild it.

Read the full article here.