COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change

Friends of the Earth International asserts that the COVID-19 crisis exposes the failures of a neoliberal, capitalist, and patriarchal system that prioritizes corporate profit over human life and nature. The organization argues that the pandemic aggravates existing structural inequalities, particularly for women, Indigenous Peoples, and the global South, while increasing vulnerability to climate disasters. It demands a systemic shift away from fossil fuel-driven economies, the abolition of Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms, and the guarantee of fundamental rights through public services to ensure a just transition.

• The COVID-19 crisis is driven by a political-economic system based on neoliberalism and the concentration of wealth, which has weakened public health and social security systems while granting excessive power to transnational corporations.
• Corporate control over food, energy, forests, and biodiversity is identified as a primary driver of ecosystem destruction, which in turn facilitates the spread of pathogens and increases health risks for those affected by polluting industries.
• The pandemic compounds the vulnerability of the global South, where decades of inaction by rich countries on climate change and the occurrence of climate-related disasters, such as a recent cyclone in Vanuatu, intersect with a lack of robust health systems.
• The document calls for a just transition away from capitalism and fossil fuel-driven economies, specifically demanding that governments refuse unconditional bailouts for big polluters like airlines and fossil fuel companies.
• The organization demands the abolition of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, which allow corporations to sue governments for public interest actions intended to protect lives.

APA

admin (2020). COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/covid-19-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-system-change/

Chicago

admin. COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/covid-19-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-system-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=15 April 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/covid-19-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-system-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2020covid19, author = {admin}, title = {{COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/covid-19-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-system-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }