KPBS Midday Edition

What Can The Fight Against COVID-19 Teach Us About How To Respond To Climate Change?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer of Audio News

Published April 1, 2020 at 12:45 PM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

An empty parking lot outside the San Diego International Airport on Mar. 27, 2020.

One thing the coronavirus outbreak has proven is that communities can make massive re-adjustments if necessary. The question is, will the slowly unfolding effects of climate change convince us those big re-adjustments are necessary?

The unprecedented steps that nations are taking to slow the spread of COVID-19 have got scientists wondering if there are lessons to be learned from this emergency that can be used to combat another global emergency — the devastating effects of climate change.

Los Angeles Times energy reporter Sammy Roth spoke with scientists, activists and other experts about what a coronavirus-like response to climate change would look like. Roth joined Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the commonalities among those he spoke to. Ralph Keeling, the director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography CO2 program, also joined the conversation to discuss if the response has led to a decrease in emissions and what he thinks it could teach us in the fight against climate change.

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KPBS Midday Edition Climate Change COVID-19

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer of Audio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth