Global cooperation on climate issues was helped by the leadership of the European Union, and increasingly, China. In contrast, no country or organization seems to have emerged as a global public health leader. If anything, there is discord among great powers such as the U.S. and China. Worse still, while major international climate bodies have a reputation of independence and technical competence, the World Health Organization, the premier organization in public health, faces a credibility crisis. Unlike climate change, the globality of Coronavirus has not bred global cooperation. Instead, it has sparked “us” versus “them” fights in several ways. Public health cooperation could be facilitated if there is a forum where national leaders regularly meet. The annual Conferences of Parties to address climate issues play an important role for climate cooperation.
By Nives Dolsak, Aseem Prakash, and Nicolas Wittstock. Forbes. April 11, 2020.
