LCR Snapshot: Climate Change, Equity, and COVID-19: Considerations in a Changing World

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICABCCI planned and hosted two webinars – one with our core partner network of local governments and one for a national public audience – focused on ways to learn together about the impacts of COVID-19 and what our responses can teach us about moving forward under changing conditions. Both webinars focused on impacts pertaining to social vulnerability and equity, which have emerged as one of the most pressing concerns of the pandemic, and how to respond in ways that meet current needs while helping to build long-term low carbon resilience.

This report provides a summary of the high-level learnings taken from these webinars. It explores opportunities for embedding a deeper concept of resilience in a post-COVID 19 world, recognizing that recovery means selecting strengths and transforming weaknesses from the previous system. The outcomes point to the role that both climate action and a focus on equity can and should play in this planning and highlight the fact that we now have an opportunity to leap forward through strategic pandemic recovery efforts.