What Are the Stimuli to Change to a Sustainable Post-COVID-19 Society?

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear authors,

It is a quite interesting paper. This paper really provides a theoretical discussion about how crisis, knowledge and alternative paradigms can engender change. However, there is very little novelty here. I am not sure that it is a concept paper...this is rather some reflection on the topic. 

Author Response

We sincerely thank the reviewer’s interest and the positive comment.

About the novelty, we think that the paper encourages discussions on the importance of strategic transformations of the global consumption and production systems and takes this opportunity to move towards a more sustainable future.

Moreover, the paper urges that this transformation process be articulated with alternative paradigms that seek to go beyond inequalities, conflicts, imbalanced development, and ecological deterioration.

Conceptualizing the interactions among crisis, knowledge and alternative paradigms the paper introduces an innovative disciplinary blending across fields and contributes to organize ideas to change to a sustainable Post-COVID society.

Reviewer 2 Report

The article concerns an interesting issue taking into account the environmental changes to a sustainable post-covid society. This work is of interest in the field of environmental protection and the influence of knowledge and alternative paradigms on sustainable development. But it has a few questions that arise after reading the article.

Below I am sending some comments/questions to the article:

1. The article needs a little text editing.
2. In the work there is not so many information on how to improve post-covid society thinking and acting towards improving the quality of the environment.
3. In my opinion, in the work the Authors should mention the improvement of air quality (by limiting car, air and sea transport and reducing consumerism), and the increase in energy consumption during a pandemic, etc.
4. Financial losses incurred by states to combat the effects of the epidemic resulted in a transfer of funds from ecological investments to other purposes. How to change these actions?

Author Response

The authors thank the reviewer’s positive comments and are happy that the text has encouraged reflection and questionings.

Below I am sending some comments/questions to the article:

1. The article needs a little text editing.

Thank you, the text was revised and edited

1. In the work there is not so many information on how to improve post-covid society thinking and acting towards improving the quality of the environment.

This paper provides a theoretical discussion about how crisis, knowledge and alternative paradigms can engender change. Knowledge and alternative paradigms are proposed to orient mankind toward a promisor future. Specific actions are not mentioned since they may belong to specific fields and will depend on the specific crisis (ongoing or to be avoided.

1. In my opinion, in the work the Authors should mention the improvement of air quality (by limiting car, air and sea transport and reducing consumerism), and the increase in energy consumption during a pandemic, etc.

The paper intends to describe the connections and conflicts, the values expressed and suppressed, and the intended and unintended consequences of our actions in face of crises. Potential solutions will arise from the body of knowledge on the topic and in its combination with innovative ways of thinking.

1. Financial losses incurred by states to combat the effects of the epidemic resulted in a transfer of funds from ecological investments to other purposes. How to change these actions?

Although indirectly linked to the paper scope, this is an interesting point that certainly deserves future studies

Reviewer 3 Report

Very good article written on a very interesting and current topic. The exploration of the stimuli that can lead people to change towards the paradigms of sustainable Post-COVID societies (crises, knowledge, and alternatives), the roles of each one of them, and the capacity they may have, individually or together, to promote the debate on the relationship between environmental conditions and the humanitarian crisis are current, timely and even urgent topics on the agenda of modern society. The discussion provided by the study is wide and as could be expected for the first incursion in the topic, the study only touches on the central issues. So, I encourage the authors to follow (in more depth) In this line of debate, producing other reflections.

Author Response

Thank you very much for the positive comment and the encouragement for further studies.