Public transit ridership plummeted during the pandemic, but expanding public transit systems remains essential for fighting climate change and improving equity. Photo by Cory Hancock/IMF 2020 upended life as we know it. The coronavirus killed almost 2 million people and counting, while roughly 100 million people fell into extreme poverty. The world entered its worst recession since the second world war. Deep-rooted racial and economic injustices were exposed, while the impacts of the pandemic itself fell disproportionately on communities of color. And these crises played out against the ever-present threat of climate change, including record-breaking fires, locust invasions, storms and other extreme weather events.