We must plan for a radically different future, one that doesn't see stability as stagnation and is both adaptable and sustainable. We should argue for and work towards something better than a cycle of growth and decline. 

Imagine your prime minister, president or chancellor standing at a press conference, declaring that for the foreseeable future, you cannot take a plane or use a car, you must stay at home. The media is shocked and agitated - these are severe restrictions to freedom of movement. Further imagine that this leader is not making these demands because of a pandemic. Instead, she is arguing they are necessary to solve the climate crisis.

Before Covid-19 took over the world, we were asked to prevent climate change by becoming “sustainable”, and it was often not clear what that actually meant. It usually involved changing our everyday consumption practices. Citizens around the world were asked to reduce their use of plastic bags, beef consumption, air travel. We hoped that small steps, taken daily by everyone, would make the difference. Perhaps a few small state interventions here and there in the capitalist market economy – slight incentives and even slighter restrictions – would also help prevent the planet’s deterioration.