The COVID-19 pandemic wasn't all bad, a new Biden administration plan to fight climate change argues: It at least "Highlighted major opportunities" to reduce travel demand and lower carbon emissions through "Remote work and virtual interactions."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted major opportunities for telework, with some studies showing the possibility of 10 percent long-term reduction in annual vehicle miles traveled." The plan goes on to identify "Remote access to services like health care and education" as one of the "Key determinants of future travel demand."
In April 2020, for example, the Rocky Mountain Institute touted "Opportunities to reduce vehicle miles traveled via telework." But the plan is already prompting outrage among small business advocates, who point to the fact that more than 100,000 small businesses closed permanently during the first few months of the pandemic alone as owners dealt with decreased demand.
The emissions plan "Will be followed by more detailed sector-specific plans to realize an improved and sustainable transportation future," according to a Jan. 10 Energy Department press release.
Travel has since "Largely returned to pre-pandemic levels," the Biden administration's January plan states, and U.S. carbon emissions subsequently rose last year.
"The pandemic has shown that rapid change can occur in both total transportation demand and how that demand is met," the plan notes.
Prominent climate change activists have long compared the issue to COVID. In an August 2020 blog post, liberal billionaire Bill Gates said that climate change "Could be worse" than the pandemic and could one day make "People afraid to leave home."
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