3.6 Analysis of the identified critical learned lessons
Based on an extensive
analysis and filtering procedure of the 553 collected lessons (from both
literature and survey), 49 unique lessons have been compiled, as
mentioned earlier. These unique lessons have been ranked by both experts
and non-expert respondents. Table (4) lists the top 5 lessons as ranked
by each respondent group. For a matrix of unique lessons and the scores
of each rating criterion, refer to the Supplementary information file
(Section SI.4).
Results of the current analysis indicate different perspectives of both
participant groups on COVID-19 and climate change. The highest-ranked
lessons from non-experts indicate that the public considers it a
necessity to create changes through improved and more effective
leadership, instead of behavior change. This is indicated by the four
highest-ranked lessons, which all point towards an efficient and
collaborative effort from the governments’ side. The non-expert group
ranked the lesson “Collective behavioral changes can lead to
regeneration in nature even in the short term” substantially higher
than the experts do. These efforts are necessary on different levels
with high transparency on both national and international levels. Public
opinion was highly influenced by the role of experts as authoritative
figures in strategies against the pandemic. Often, information from
experts was perceived to lead to delayed or too weak political action.
The desire to listen to experts consequently has become more apparent
and can be considered an important lesson learned in the fight against
climate change. The desire for authoritative figures and clear
strategies on a global level is also present regarding climate change.
The highest-ranked lessons by the experts differ, as they mostly point
towards choices that governance and society must make long-term. These
enduring strategies must be applied at different levels, focusing on
risk management, potential green economics, and the role of scientific
data. Through applying these long-term strategies, a lack of
sustainability could be challenged and more informed decisions regarding
future development could be made.
The lessons indicate that collaborative efforts on a scientific basis
are desired, which could well be implemented in future approaches to
tackle climate change. As science communication plays a major role in
this, one takeaway of the lessons could be for communicators to focus on
the long-term changes needed, as the experts proposed through their
ratings, but to also assess and communicate the impact or consequences
of recent political decisions for the public, in line with the
non-experts ranking.
Table 4. Highest-ranked lesson learned from COVID-19 relevant
to climate change with their mean ranks.