The outbreak of Coronavirus will forever be remembered as one of the global crisis of the 21st Century.

Countries at first thought it was a Continental issue more of like Asia’s problem. It soon became obvious that while we may agree that Countries are sovereign under International Law hence municipal crisis seemingly should not attract global concern but we were wrong.

Though countries are independent, however, all countries must be inter-dependent to succeed whether in trade, security, medicine or technology.

This applies also to climate change which has become the axle of environmental law in the last decade.

We may appear to look the other way just like we all ignored coronavirus at inception as something not as important as it is now. More interesting topics according to our priorities dominated the headlines.

Globally it was United States Election, Trade Wars between the United States and China, while in Nigeria it was the fight against Boko Haram by gallant Nigerian Soldiers who are under-equipped in the North East of Nigeria, the 22.7 billion dollar loan of which the South East of Nigeria was unexpectedly excluded, a bill seeking criminal culpability on importation, purchase and use of generators and many more dramatic stories that are peculiar with Nigeria.

However, Climate Change has been on the passenger seat of global discussion with less action being taken since the landmark Paris Agreement.

An agreement executed to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

The Paris Agreement in its Article 2 states that “the agreement seeks to strengthen the global response to climate change, reaffirm the goal of limiting global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees”.

The Paris Agreement entered into force 30 days after ratification by 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global carbon emissions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited a global response, unlike anything we’ve seen before.

From governments and businesses taking on new roles to respond to the crisis to the complete change in how we work, travel and socialize.

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There is absolutely tremendous change.

In fact, it slowed the world down if not on partial static state. With fewer cars on the roads, closure of businesses, lockdown of seaports and closure of airports, hence there proportionally became less carbon emission or greenhouse gases around the world.

Industrial and Commercial States/Cities in Nigeria like Lagos, Abeokuta, Onitsha, Nnewi, Porthacourt, Asaba, Aba, Kano, Ibadan and the rest have been on what I will like to term environmental suspension as a result of policies initiated by the government to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Businesses in these cities/states are run by generators almost 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

The carbon emissions from these cities are not only harmful to the environment; they are harmful to the humans who directly or indirectly orchestrate its emission.

One can now really understand how Covid-19 has unexpectedly tackled climate change though at a heavy price of human life. Nature has unthinkable ways of altering the course of mankind.

What’s my point? Countries around the world need not wait fora rise in sea level, increase in acidic rain, death of sea plants and animals or endangered species, cancerous effects of environmental pollution of oil and plastic waste and other man-made orchestrated disasters to take swift action in response to climate change.

We may not get the chance to reverse our actions or at least slow it down.

Covid-19 took brutal steps and significant results became evident. China is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas.

European Space Agency reported lately that China’s emission recently decreased by 40% as a result of the closure of businesses and the countries new policies towards tackling the spread of Covid-19 in China.

Many Countries are investing in alternative energy sources to run households, cars and industries but we not preparing for this future.

When Senator Ben Murray Bruce introduced a Bill that will allow the use of electrical cars in Nigeria, he eloquently described the exploits of Tesla’s electric cars of which he owed one.

However, the Senate discarded it without a thought, either because they are not enlightened or because they just love the fact that our major source of national income is oil which will be obsolete in future.

They forget that there was a time it was coal that propelled commerce and life itself, soon the world moved beyond it.

Though the global community gave less attention to Covid-19 at inception, they had a better health care system than we do, the only difference with respect to the issue of alternative energy sources under review is that other countries are prepared for the future and are ready but we are not.

Covid-19’s hit on Nigeria showed how terrible our health care system is, even though we know it’s bad but at least past and serving public officials are now more enlightened that there are times when irrespective of how highly placed you are, you will not be able to leave your country for medical attention, you can only but sadly rely on the health care system you’ve neglected over the years.

Countries around the world and especially Nigeria with respect to leading African Countries on this demand should take the same swift, effective and co-ordinated action exhibited on COVID-19 on Climate Change, seeing how the virus has tackled Climate Change.

The next global crisis (God forbid) may not be so kind to slow the world down to take action.