What Has the Coronavirus Taught Us about Social Sustainability?

This article was originally published on February 17, 2020.

The economic impact of the outbreak of the coronavirus is an unfortunate example of why it is important to ensure good social sustainability in order to protect our economy.

There is a strong relationship between our economy and our society, and sustainability efforts need to be scaled up globally to ensure that we are protecting both of these areas.

China currently remains mostly closed as 60 million residents across the nation remain under some form of quarantine. With over 67,000 cases confirmed and over 1,500 deaths, the virus does not show any signs that it will be slowing down anytime soon.

China is responsible for a significant portion of the Australian economy. China sees over 28% of Australian food and agricultural exports, which have currently been halted due to the outbreak of the virus. Another significant revenue stream is the number of Chinese students in Australian tertiary educations with over 100,000 students stranded in Mainland China due to the travel ban which commenced February 1st. Each of these students represents approximately $80,000 per year to the Australian economy.

Currently, it is estimated that Australia is losing $1 billion per week in tourism…