This column argued last month that there is a dire need for new thinking on security, citing climate breakdown and the COVID-19 pandemic as the real security challenges of our times.
For the latter, it cited the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mid-November global COVID-19 death toll of 5.1 million but also warned that the WHO was concerned about underreporting of deaths in many countries. Other reliable assessments ranged from 12 to 17 million deaths.
The column predicted further problems due to low vaccination rates worldwide: “So COVID-19’s impact is far higher than what is commonly assumed, and there is still a long way to go. Global vaccination rates are hopelessly inadequate, yet very few governments have any clear vision for what is really needed.”
