Science – Crisis management

In recent years, we have seen the world, including New Zealand, exposed to a series of major crises: Covid-19, climate change and plastics waste. These crises are all global and not just regional in nature. We need to remind ourselves of the wise dictum: Think Global and Act Local. All three crises involve science and technology in different but fundamental ways. In order to develop pragmatic global and local solutions, they all demand critical working partnerships between governments, the private sector and the global community. These partnerships are like a doubles game of tennis – all partnerships must perform effectively for the game itself to be successful. Developing stronger and more effective partnerships between and within these sectors must become a priority for New Zealand.

For each of the three crises, such partnerships have often failed to materialise in specific ways. For example, in the case of Covid-19 vaccines, the partnerships between government funders, research organisations and the biotechnology corporations have worked well, as evidenced by the emergence of several successful vaccines. However, the coordination of vaccine manufacture and roll-out by governments in the European Union, US and some other countries, has generally been poor.

In the case of climate change, governments everywhere have a central role in developing strategy, pragmatic policies and monitoring progress. But Professor Ian Chubb (former Australian chief scientist) has reminded Australians that in many ways the private sector has outdistanced the Government in planning for climate remediation. The first official report of the New Zealand Climate Change Commission, released in January, is a very important step in pushing the Government in the right direction, but one which would benefit from a stronger practical long-term vision.

Meanwhile, the private sector is vital in defining and achieving practical global solutions. The global corporations in the energy sector need to migrate their core business out of fossil fuels. Several fossil fuel corporations are shifting into renewables technologies (BP, Shell, Statoil, Chevron, Total, Eni and Exxon). In plastics waste recycling, Dow Chemical, the largest global supplier of plastics, and UniLever, which owns 400 brands, together with many other companies, are leading the charge towards a 100 per cent circular economy strategy. I have proposed that New Zealand seek to achieve 100 per cent recycling by focusing initially on the sector that generates the most plastics waste, which is packaging.

Many countries have recently announced zero carbon (ZC) targets. China, despite its very serious issues with human rights and democracy, stands out. China aims to reduce its population by 48 per cent by 2100, and it has already lifted 900 million of its citizens out of poverty. It is the fastest growing carbon emitter globally, but it is also the largest supplier of renewables technology and has the largest fleet of electric vehicles. It plans to invest more than $1 trillion in renewable technologies. It has set a ZC target by 2060, which it intends to achieve by replacing coal by nuclear and a variety of other renewable energy sources. Kiwis, be prepared. We are approaching a brave new world at speed. The success of that new world will depend on partnerships and trust.

Emeritus Professor Ralph Cooney
r.cooney@auckland.ac.nz