A moment of reckoning - when coronavirus meets climate change

Cyclones in the Pacific and pandemics tell us a lot about global inequality and highlight our futile pursuit of profit.

In the midst of economic shocks and border closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Pacific region has yet again been ravaged by a Category 5 cyclone that left a trail of destruction across four Pacific island countries in a span of four days from April 5 to 8.

The economic toll from Cyclone Harold and the response to the coronavirus pandemic to Pacific economies is yet to be determined, but they have for sure rolled backed significant economic gains in these countries.

The economic, social and environmental impacts of the pandemic, exacerbated by climate-induced disasters such as tropical Cyclone Harold, will reverberate well into the future for these countries.

COVID-19 and climate change have re-emphasised the fragility of Pacific economies and their acute vulnerability to global phenomena.

Oxfam's report on the potential economic impact of the coronavirus - Dignity not Destitution - demonstrates that the scenario unfolding in the Pacific is a reality that most vulnerable and poor developing countries in the Global South could relate to in light of the current global precarity and uncertainty.