Listen now!
Don’t want to miss a single episode of Solidarity Speaks?
Turning point or point of return?
In 2020 and 2021, UCSIA published two books in which Flemish experts viewed the pandemic as an opportunity for a societal U-turn. Five years later, we ask ourselves: has that turnaround actually happened?
The reality is harsh. Geopolitical conflicts, the climate crisis and the rise of populism have overshadowed the hope for structural change.
The outbreak of COVID-19: a breath of fresh air for people and the planet?
In the early months of the pandemic, the outlook for the climate seemed promising: CO₂ emissions temporarily dropped by as much as 17%, largely due to a sharp decline in land transport. Cathy Macharis explains that these behavioural shifts were hopeful: radical change in a short time proved to be possible.
Eva Smets puts this optimism into perspective: while we made temporary progress on the ecological front, the COVID crisis actually accelerated economic inequality worldwide. The richest 1% now hold 45% of all wealth, an exponential increase since the pandemic began.
Climate policy versus social policy
The tension between ecology and social justice is an important theme.
Eva emphasizes that poor climate policy does indeed disproportionately affect certain groups. For example, making homes energy-efficient or purchasing electric vehicles is often not feasible for people on low incomes.
But with the right political choices, climate policy can also be perfectly socially just. This requires measures that take inequality into account from the outset. Examples include CO₂ taxes offset through social funds, or climate dividends that distribute the burden fairly.
Cathy adds: investing in things like public transport or cycling infrastructure benefits everyone. This way, we combine climate policy with social justice and make a fair transition achievable.
“We are often pitted against each other as social groups. It is presented as if we have to choose between the end of the world or the end of the week. But that is not the case. ”
Systemic change
Policy often faces the trade-off between sustainability and social support.
Eva points out that the root cause lies in the capitalist system, which generates economic inequality. For a genuine transition, we need a circular, regenerative economy — a ‘doughnut economy’ — that respects ecological boundaries and places social foundations at its core.
The pandemic could have accelerated the transition, but promising movements and investments were held back by political hesitation and crises such as wars and geopolitical tensions.
Cathy also advocates a systemic approach: tackling the root causes of the climate crisis requires not only technology, but also a structural overhaul of consumption and production patterns.
Permacrisis: slide or springboard?
Although climate action is perhaps more important than the COVID measures of five years ago, we are failing to generate sufficient momentum and support for it.
This is partly due to the ‘permacrisis’: wars, biodiversity loss, climate problems… We are all running from one crisis to another, and back again. According to Cathy, this makes it difficult to tackle issues thoroughly. In addition, there is a lack of urgency. She illustrates this with the springboard-slide metaphor of ‘purpose economist’ Kees Klomp.
During the COVID crisis, we were standing at the end of a springboard. The threat of the invisible virus was so tangible and immediate that radical changes became possible in the short term.
When it comes to the climate, we are sitting at the top of a slide. We know we are going to slide down, but we don’t feel it yet. The problem seems far away, which makes it difficult to make the bold choices needed.
“We are currently in a permacrisis: wars, the biodiversity crisis, climate issues… This means that people — and perhaps politicians too — are constantly rushing from one crisis to the next, without addressing the root causes. And that really needs to happen within the structure of our society."
The power of communities: islands of hope
Despite the challenges, there are also many ‘islands of hope’: small, successful grassroots initiatives. Energy cooperatives, food forests, and local communities show that sustainability is possible and that citizens can actively contribute to change.
Eva emphasizes the power of collective action: social movements can put pressure on policymakers and accelerate change.
“You see islands of hope popping up everywhere. If you connect them all, you get an idea of what the future could look like."
Hope and lessons for the future
The challenges remain significant and numerous. Yet, with hope and action, we can make considerable progress.
Individual behaviour can spark change, but it is the collective power that truly makes the difference.
The pandemic showed that radical transformations are possible when we feel the urgency and there is political courage.
Collaboration, communities, and systemic change are the key to a sustainable, just society. Technological solutions alone are not enough.
Finally, communication remains crucial in this story: yes, we are in a crisis and the climate transition is urgent. But there is no point in dwelling on doom and gloom. There is real hope, and together we can still make a difference.
“For us, the climate crisis is a social problem. Period. We, as humans, have caused it through our way of life, our way of producing and consuming. If we truly want to address it in a sustainable way, it takes far more than simply switching from a petrol car to an electric one. It goes back to the core: how do we organize ourselves as a society? What about our production and consumption system? What about our economy?
Conclusion
The COVID crisis began promisingly from an ecological perspective. However, five years on, we still face enormous challenges, but there is hope. Sustainable transitions are possible, and both policy and citizen initiatives play a crucial role.
Solidarity Speaks continues to explore these topics and calls for collective action: the choices we make today will shape the future of tomorrow.
Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on new episodes and events!
What does the future hold?
In the spring of 2026, UCSIA will organize the lecture series U-Turn: 5 years later, in which we take stock: has the pandemic truly changed us?
Topics such as loneliness, addiction, citizens’ initiatives, and authoritarian leaders are addressed. We continue to search for hopeful perspectives in a world full of challenges.
Want to know more about U-turn: 5 years later?
Contributors to this episode
Colophon
Host: Linda De Win
Guests: Cathy Macharis (VUB House of Sustainable Transitions) and Eva Smets (Oxfam Belgium)
Editors: Kaat Somers and Erik De Bom
Production: Kaat Somers and Marijke Celis
Communication: Marijke Celis
Editing and mixing: AV Inspire
Music: Giuseppe Minervini
Voice intro & outro: Gilke Gunst
Linda De Win
Linda De Win is a journalist. She worked for over 30 years at the VRT news service, where she specialized in reporting on domestic politics. She worked for het Journaal, Terzake, and De zevende dag. From 2006 to 2021, she hosted the parliamentary programme Villa Politica.
By training, she is historian. She completed her bachelor’s degree at UFSIA and her master’s degree (specializing in contemporary history) at Ghent University. She is passionate not only about her field of study, but also about everything happening in society. She currently works as a journalist, podcast host, and moderator.
Cathy Macharis
Cathy Macharis is professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, affiliated with the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences.
Driven by her passion for the transition to a more sustainable world, she founded the House of Sustainable Transitions (HOST), a transdisciplinary platform that brings together researchers, students, businesses, policymakers and citizens to address today’s major sustainability challenges.
She teaches several courses at the intersection of sustainability and decision-making and developed the Factor 8 process: an innovative framework that supports individuals, organizations, and societies on their path towards sustainability. What makes this process unique is its combination of personal transformation and societal change, together forming the foundation for a resilient and just future.
Professor Macharis wrote an essay on Ecowelvaart for our U-turn book, and in 2024 she also published her own book: Land van Hoop (Land of Hope). In it, various experts highlight where current systems are reaching their limits, and, more importantly, where potential solutions lie
Eva Smets
After graduating, Eva Smets spent seven years working as an aid worker in Central and East Africa for international NGOs such as Oxfam GB and Care International, specializing in humanitarian advocacy.
She then served for nearly ten years as Executive Director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict in New York, a network of NGOs that lobbies the UN Security Council for the safety and rights of children in war zones.
In April 2018, she returned to Belgium and became Executive Director of Oxfam-Solidariteit in Brussels. In this role, she led the merger of the Flemish Oxfam Wereldwinkels/Oxfam Fair Trade with Oxfam Solidarité/Oxfam-Solidariteit, and in February 2020, she became General Director of the newly integrated Oxfam Belgium/Belgique.
In 2024, Eva Smets published a book: Kantelen! Belgische recepten voor de donuteconomie. In it, she advocates for a new, just approach to our economy, climate, and social care.