Transnational Environmental Law in a Transformed Environment

Abstract

Many of the profound economic and social impacts of the pandemic, and our attempts to limit its spread, have been immediate, with many economies coming to a virtual standstill overnight 6 Unemployment has soared to record heights in the US and the price of crude oil has dropped below zero for the first time in history 7 These effects are expected to be long-lasting and profound, with many industries doubting whether recovery is possible at all 8 More systemic challenges, such as an economic depression, seem likely 9 Worryingly, basic necessities – including food – may not be available to a large share of the world population in the near future without carefully planned, yet urgent, action 10 Notwithstanding ongoing uncertainty regarding the scale and timeline of the current pandemic, the world that will emerge from this globally disruptive event inevitably will look different from the one we knew before The answers to these and many more questions depend on the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic, our response to it and its aftermath, on the environment itself, and on the actors and legal frameworks that regulate our environment [ ]it is worth noting that the relationship between our natural and social environment has never been more important, nor subject to such intense scrutiny The unequal way in which the pandemic affects population groups, especially with regard to age and gender, may also lead to a shift in demographics with far-reaching consequences 16 Finally, while there are positive environmental effects, it is unclear which of these will last: the need to maintain social distancing for a long period of time could also lead to an increase in car use and decrease in public transport use [ ]the vast amount of resources currently spent on combating this pandemic cannot be used for fighting other crises, such as climate change At the European level, many legislative and policy plans under the European Union (EU) ‘Green Deal’ have already been reported to be delayed until 2021 17 These pressing social issues will have a major impact on environmental scholarship [ ]the coronavirus crisis has profound direct effects on the academic community itself, including effects on our ability to engage in (certain types of) research,18 the funding that will be available,19 and the form that teaching will take in the future 20 The many questions that emerge, and their answers, undoubtedly will be heavily debated in this journal and the academic community at large, fostering a discussion which we hope will continue to be diverse in terms of geography, gender, and stage of academic career