A piece among the dominoes of racial injustice
The pandemic and its many knock-on effects play out with inequality as a backdrop.
Welcome to the newsletter formerly known as The News from my Desk. If you missed the memo, catch up on the changes here. And there’s an introduction to Worldwise here.
The Worldwise View
Black Lives Matter.
There’s been a litany of speculation over the past few months about how the world might change as a result of the pandemic, a lot of it picked up in previous posts.
Could it be that the Black Lives Matter movement is among the most sweeping social shifts helped along by Covid-19?
Not long after the murder of George Floyd under the knee of Minnesota’s police force, and the first signs of the unrest it led to, I came across this monologue by South African comedian and political commentator Trevor Noah.
Noah is insightful and bold in his commentary. And he briefly mentions the pandemic as one of the ‘domino’ pieces that explain why protest is erupting at this point in time.
It’s been clear for a while now that Black and minority ethnic groups are affected disproportionately by the Coronavirus, with higher death rates than White groups. The disparity has been called a defining feature of the crisis in the United States. This piece in the Conversation is one of many voices pointing out that what’s underlying it is not race—there’s no evidence the disparity can be explained by biological differences—but disadvantages connected to racism. A history of medical bias against Black and ethnic minority groups is just one example.
Will governments now take this seriously? The first signs in the UK aren’t good. In England, an official report into the disproportionate impact of the pandemic has been criticised for missing vital recommendations, and called “profoundly disappointing” by doctors.
To state the obvious, the wave of protests is forcing us all—individuals and societies—to face up to racism. Thousands in cities around the world have been out on the streets voicing support.
That brought quite a bit of discussion about the trade-offs between risking further spread of the virus and standing up for injustice. Concerns that the protest will trigger a second wave, which is bound to hit African Americans and other disadvantaged groups harder, were countered by arguments that Covid-19 is not the only risk worth worrying about (NYT + WSJ + WaPo + Atlantic).
The WHO took a stand, supporting the protests even in the midst of the pandemic.
Photo by Julian Wan on Unsplash
As far as other pandemic knock-on effects go, recent headlines give us plenty to worry about—from economic depression to women’s rights to the cocaine trade.
The World Bank says the global economy will have its biggest recession in 80 years, in spite of the support measures governments have been rolling out. China's Belt and Road Initiative, a massive international infrastructure project, is reportedly at risk.
Some public figures strike a note of optimism with efforts to build momentum for ‘green’ recovery.
Meanwhile, we can expect the worst food crisis in more than 50 years as supply chains get disrupted. To deal with this, the World Food Programme is changing how it works, in some cases having to make a U-turn on public health messages it’s been promoting for a long time.
Regression in gender equality is on the cards as the pandemic means many women having to sacrifice careers for child care. Women's unemployment has risen more than men's in the economic downturn.
In an exclusive, Open Democracy reports that countries should expect a ‘wave’ of corporate lawsuits challenging emergency measures taken over Covid-19.
Nature is running an article series on changes in the world of scientific research as a result of the pandemic. Among them, this conclusion: many scientists will never go back to the work they used to do.
The UN General Assembly won't convene in New York this year for the first time in 75 years.
Last but not least, a couple of dispatches from the world of criminality. One is a report on how Covid-19 facilitated the rebirth of global jihadism. And, how a drop in the price of coca leaf is hitting South American farmers and reshaping the illicit drug trade.
A final note about what I’ll call the axis of trouble: US, China and the WHO.
It happened a while ago, but still counts as a pandemic knock-on effect: Trump’s announcement that the US will sever all ties with the WHO. It doesn’t necessarily mean complete withdrawal. But there was plenty of analysis of what can be expected if it happens (Nature + CGD + CNN).
One concern is that Bill Gates would then become the largest donor to the agency, giving his Foundation enormous influence over the global health agenda. It currently accounts for 45% of the agency's funding. And many have been opposed to the Foundation’s global health influence already.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro is threatening to quit the WHO too.
In what seems like very good timing, the UN agency has now launched a foundation that’s been in the works for a while, which aims to expand its funding base.
In Quotes
"...the greater the representation, the higher the likelihood of outperformance. Companies with more than 30 percent women executives were more likely to outperform companies where this percentage ranged from 10 to 30, and in turn these companies were more likely to outperform those with even fewer women executives, or none at all." — Management consulting firm McKinsey, in a report that reinforces the business case for inclusion and diversity.
In other headlines
A German academic journal has been condemned for publishing an essay calling diversity in chemistry harmful - Chemistry World + C&EN
Women are still routinely left out of biomedical research, and ignored in analyses of data - STAT
In Canada, scientists wishing to do research must now consult with Inuit groups — and consider long-neglected local priorities - Undark
Worldwise is written by Anita Makri. Was this email forwarded to you? Learn more and subscribe here.