From Climate Change to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Back!

From Climate Change to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Back!

Julie Ann Racino, Cornell and Syracuse University Alumni, 2022 

      In 2022, philanthropist and billionaire Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft with Phil Allen,  released his 2022 book on How to Avoid A Climate Disaster. Today, Bill Gates is most well known for his family foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gateś Foundation located in Seattle, Washington where Bill Sr. was indeed leading the Foundation!

     However,  I have always been a Bill Gateś fan, especially with his efforts to make computer technology available to low income populations through library systems in US and developing world programs. In 2015, I was quite surprised that his family foundation, similar to President Jimmy (and First Lady Rosalynn) Carterś, was highly involved (influential and financial) in global health. 

    I was delighted to visit the Gateś Foundation Museum while in Seattle, Washington in 2016, and the Carter Presidential Museum in 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia during conferences with the American Society for Public Administration. Back in 2012, Bill Clinton (now with Hillary and Chelsea) was featuring the Clinton Global Initiative with international panels. 

     I silently gasped (of course always with awe) at the Carterś being involved as US-world leadership with tropical disease eradication, and at new toilets that take advantage of body posture and less water use at the Gateś Foundation! And with the Clinton Global Health Initiative, how would we have known that polio and disease (e.g., HIV-AIDS) eradication in the world is on ẗheir global minds" everyday!

     Now, Bill Gates who was I-Spyed at Trumpś Florida mansion during the USA Presidency, also describes in his book, the Paris Climate Conference and President Obama, now a US President Biden administration Executive Order and US goals. With the aid of former Vice President Al Gore, a Nobel laureate on climate, we harkened back to the Clinton administration and his support of Big Tech (e.g., Gore-Tech sessions) in his book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis (Gore, 2009).  

      By 2015, through American Society for Public Administration, Environment and Climate Change was featured from Earth Summit World Leadership to Todayś Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (Racino, 2015, ASPA, SENRA). In 2014, US Mayorś began a Climate Action Plan and we reflected back on the 1988 UN Panel on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (ratified by 120 countries in 2004). Of course, the UN already held intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystems a decade earlier!

To the Covid-19 Pandemic

   Bill Gateś just released his book on How to Prevent the Next Pandemic (Gates, 2022) post Gov Andrew Cuomo, who served as the head of all US Governors, released his 2020 book dedicated to the people of New York State. Cuomoś 2020 book, American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic, became controversial over the continuing effects of the US lockdowns (e.g., stay-at-home Executive orders issued by every US state Governor individually)! And the toll of the virus in US and world, including international travel destination, New York City. 

     Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of course, served in the Clinton Administration as US Cabinet and describes his relationship with President Clinton, including invitations on Air Force One (p.151).  We know that Gov. Andrew Cuomo already served as NYS Governor during the Presidents Obama and Trump Administrations, and needed to lead through the Wuhan, China virus which was so virulent and contagious that world leaders were infected from Boris Johnson to President Trump, and even into his own family, Chris Cuomo of CNN!

     In an earlier letter, we thanked him for his leadership during the days of likely panic, and for keeping the public aware through regular presentations (with slides, Executive team, and statistics) on the newest developments. Cuomo enlisted his own laboratories in New York government to assure the safety and effectiveness (efficacy) of what was yet to be developed international vaccines and treatments. Like myself (See, Bill Gates, too) and the American public, we did find Dr. Tony Fauci of NIH (National Institute of Health) to be quite Americaś doctor during the mid-phases of the world crisis. 

     In case the timetables were unclear, the now common recommended treatment of Paxlovid by Pfizer did not arrive until late in 2021 (p.124, Gates, 2022)! And the half decade or more vaccine development (especially, BioNTech & Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) was accelerated to a year via Operation Warp Speed (briefings from President Trumpś federal Covid-19 team) which was live during the height of the crisis and included the core contracts for private development to deployment. Even checking PubMed online was devastating during the early days of Covid-19 (sometimes deadly disease) which followed other outbreaks such as SARS and MERS.

     We thank both Gov. Andrew Cuomo (2020) and Bill Gates (2022) for their books on the pandemic; for New Yorkers concerned regarding the counting of deaths (mortality), Gates offers a global chart on official counts of Covid deaths (5.9 million) and estimated global excess deaths (per capita) of 17.4 million. Gates indicates the latter measures the impact of Covid by including people whose deaths were indirectly caused by the pandemic (p.24, Gates, 2022). For example, my brother Terrance Racino who passed in June 2020- at the height of Covid-19 in Arizona- due to a heart attack with secondary diabetes, might be an indirect Covid death (e.g., even hospital use). 

     While frontline (e.g., direct service, emergency) workers were lauded during the pandemic, we agree that we are shocked with the United Stateś leading academic medical centers, that public health operational capacity is not as robust as we might have hoped or imagined! And, thus the recommendations from Bill Gates on world preparation for public health preparedness (with World Health Organization , Munich Security Conference, and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations). We knew the truth when all Chief Executives did not relinquish control to their health departments, who were always visible with the Executive teams at state, local and federal levels. 

     We may conclude with conversation with world leader Bill Gates on the Vaccine Alliances (GAVI, COVAX-live in 2019) , the Global Fund, and the changing nature of developing countries and donor and recipient Nations for vaccines (e.g., India at space competitions).  We continue to support vaccines, with consultation by our physicians (to autoimmune compromised), and are relieved that we weathered the American crisis to the reopening of businesses, community organizations, and schools. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic did change our lives and our worlds, and will continue to do so!

     As Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine stated: Ẅe face new and novel threats to public health as a result of climate change and globalization....Public health is not commonly understood as a security issue, but it should be....Global health emergencies demand an all-hands-on-deck response, not bureaucratic fighting or delays. And we will work to expand capacity within emerging economies to protect public health, track cases of disease, and rapidly scale emergency medical treatment. (Clinton & Kaine, 2016, pp.151-152).

     Today, the Biden administration is often represented in the national newsmedia by the newly appointed Director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), Dr. Walensky. We might refer the federal government to Gateś discussion on CDC and advice on masks (yes, pro masks) which we still reel from as we see the new cubicles, too, in schools! And we might add that we did not choose ourselves either health care, police sciences or science technology to operate and administer our education and school systems!

     And we are optimists, and believe that we will be stronger from adversity. Why? Because the world has indeed halved the child deaths in the world since 1990 from infectious, nutritional, and neonatal diseases (Gates, 2022), and because we will grasp the climate challenges (Gates, 2021; Gore, 2009; Clinton & Kaine, 2016) with a commitment to a better world and new technologies from solar, wind to a cleaner energy world for all of us! On the latter, with the commitment of our Energy and Finance Ministers working together!

     And Gov. Andrew Cuomo may not know but the world now cares about everyone-from the incarcerated in the prisons, to the elderly citizens in their homes, to those ill in nursing facilities, to the disabled (people with disabilities) and their families, and to children in day care settings. It was called some people just take themselves for granted! Thank you-and blessings for the soul of my brother Terrance A. Racino (who did not have the same, but different life and opportunities than I did) and his 19 grandchildren and their growing families! As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, grandmother par excellence, is fond of saying ït is all for the children.

References

Clinton, Hillary and Kaine, Tim. (2016). A Blueprint for Americaś Future: Stronger Together. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. 

Cuomo, Andrew. (2020). American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic. New York, New York: Penguin Random House. 

Gates, Bill. (2021). How to Prevent the Next Pandemic. New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Gates, Bill. (2022). How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Gore, Al. (2009). Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. New York, New York: Melcher Media and Emmaus, PA: Rodale. 

Livestreams, Newscasts and Live TV

UN web tv, CSPAN, CNN, NBC-ABC-CBS, PBS, Spectrum News 10

Clinton Global Initiative (2012) led by William J. Clinton, Clinton Foundation.

New York State government briefings on Covid-19 (Cuomo Administration)

US briefings on Covid-19, Trump Administration.

World Health Organization online (2019-2021).

From the Author

Racino, Julie Ann. (2011). Visit to Phoenix, Scotsdale, Avondale and Goodyear, Arizona with Terrance and Eve Racino and families. Rome, NY: DBA refiling (2013, 1996). 

Racino, Julie Ann. (2014). Public Administration and Disability: Community Services Administration in the US. NY, NY: CRC Press, Francis and Taylor Academics.

Racino, Julie Ann. (2015, December). Environment and Climate Change from Earth Summit World Leadership to Todayś Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. SENRA (Section on the Environment and Natural Resources) Newsletter, American Society for Public Administration. 

Racino, Julie Ann. (2018). 20 Health and Human Services Administration Panels. Denver, CO:  American Society for Public Administration, HHSA Executive Board. Blogspot/Community and Policy Studies

Racino, Julie Ann. (2015-2019). Visits to the US Carter Presidential Museum and Gates' Foundation Museum in Atlanta, Georgia and Seattle, Washington. In conjunction with American Society for Public Administration. Rome, NY: Community and Policy Studies.

Related Readings

Eizenstat, Stewart E. (2018). President Carter: The White House Years. NY, NY: St. Martinś Press.

Gates, Melinda. (2019, April). The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. New York, NY: Flatiron Books.  Dedication to Jenn, Rory and Phoebe, children of Bill and Melinda Gates. Includes family planning in developing countries, maternal and newborn health,  and Catholic Church and contraceptives. 

Kamarck, Elaine Ciulla and William A. Galston. (1993, January). A Progressive Family Policy for the 1990s. In: Will Marshall and Martin Schram (Eds.), Mandate for Change (pp. 153-178). New York, New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group. Includes family preservation, divorce law reform, well-being of Americaś children, and parental responsibility among others. 

Kinsley, Michael. (2008). Creative Capitalism: A Conversation with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Other Economic Leaders. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland  with Pres. George W. Bush and President William J. Clinton, and Bono on Red Campaign and Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. 

Racino, Julie Ann. (2000). Personnel Preparation in Disability and Community Life: Toward Universal Approaches to Support. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers. With Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger on normalization and social role valorization; Dr. Steven Taylor on community integration and family support for children and families; and Dr. Carol Berrigan and Dr. Douglas Biklen on inclusion and mainstreaming in schools.

White House Domestic Policy Council. (1993). The Clinton Blueprint: The Presidentś Health Security Plan. NY, NY: Random House.