Pamela Berkowsky is the president of Blue Sapphire Strategies and an expert on national security and international relations. Pamela Berkowsky has decades of senior government experience coordinating emergency management and public health and safety initiatives; her husband, Adam Shapiro, is a practicing physician. The global coronavirus pandemic has caused major geopolitical, economic and social dislocation while also exposing significant gaps in public health preparedness. While most of the world’s attention has understandably been focused on the pandemic’s negative impacts, it is important to note that there may be what some have called a small, albeit temporary silver lining when it comes to climate change. As a result of global travel restrictions and stay-at-home directives, for example, there has already been a visible reduction in carbon emissions across the globe. Researchers have found that traffic levels in New York and other cities have dropped precipitously when compared to the previous year, corresponding to a substantial drop in CO2 and methane levels. In China, analyses estimate a 25 percent drop in energy use and emissions in the last weeks of February alone. Furthermore, China, Italy, Spain and other nations have experienced plummeting levels of nitrogen dioxide, which experts say is linked to ground transport restrictions and a decrease in industrial activity. Even ornithologists are noting the positive effects on urban bird activity. Climate experts, however, caution against premature celebration and China – with its coal consumption already returning to near pre-pandemic levels – provides a clear example of how quickly emissions and pollution levels can rise again. A true silver lining would be the widespread recognition of applicable lessons learned and a renewed commitment to global cooperation, science, and green infrastructure.
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AuthorA resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2002, Pamela B. Berkowsky took her most recent governmental management role in 2007, becoming Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. John de Jongh Jr. Thriving in this position, in which she managed daily Government House and Cabinet operations and policy development and implementation, she was promoted to Chief of Staff in 2011. Archives
September 2020
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