In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, a Chinese Academy of Sciences program known as Big Earth Data Science Engineering (CASEarth) began to organize data and information that could help curb the outbreak. CASEarth coordinated a national effort to develop a global big data platform for coronavirus. This platform has been publishing and disseminating timely, authoritative scientific data and information concerning COVID-19, including detection methods, electron micrographs, genomes, scientific literature, results from ongoing scientific research, and a collection of virus strains from the National Pathogen Microbial Resource Bank. These resources are valuable for scientific studies on COVID-19 and for experts active in prevention and control of COVID-19 infections. In addition to COVID-19 genome data, the system has so far integrated 3,135 coronavirus genomes and 32,865 nucleic acid sequences from 20,241 strains, extracted from 496 different host types and 568 collection sites.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 shows that, while advances have been made in some areas, monumental challenges remain. The world is not on track to end poverty and millions still live in hunger.

As COVID-19 batters the world and its economy, it’s time to rethink sustainable pathways for our planet. Rosy hopes that globalization and economic growth would bankroll waves of green investment and development are no longer realistic. It’s unlikely there will be enough money or attention to banish poverty and inequality, expand health care and overturn biodiversity loss and climate change, all by 2030.

In 2015, world leaders met in New York at a landmark conference of the United Nations. Their aim: to end poverty, stop environmental destruction and boost well-being. In the world of multilateral diplomacy, such meetings are not uncommon, but they tend to focus on individual areas, such as climate change or food security.