It’s been half a year since the first signs of COVID-19 surfaced. It has taken away hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed the livelihood of millions, but we’re finally beginning to recover.
But as the pandemic slowly and painfully subsides, it is worth noting that we cannot return to business as usual.
The thousands dead, the millions in economic peril, this pandemic has painted a picture of our future in the climate crisis, and we cannot afford to forget it. When the heatwaves, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, wildfires and disease outbreaks rage across our planet, our healthcare providers will not be able to fend for everyone, let alone for themselves.
The climate crisis, while likely encompassing all the terrible symptoms of pandemic life, will likely displace millions of people as well.
Climate refugees will have no choice but to leave their homes, pushed into unknown and often unwelcoming lands.
Please don’t forget the inequalities that have been exposed in the flawed global systems that we live in today due to the pandemic. The most vulnerable were hit first and were the ones that suffered the most.
For the rich, the pandemic was an inconvenience. For the poor, it was life or death. Yet even now, people are taking advantage of the situation. As we speak, many are engaged in illegal sand mining and logging because no one is watching. Many became profiteers, hoarding and selling face masks and toilet paper.
We live in a society where the rich prosper off the misery of the poor. Pandemics and disasters highlight this issue and if nature does not equalize it, history has shown that the masses will.
And if that occurs, it is always violent.
Where it began
This pandemic has shown what happens when we don’t address our problems quickly, when we cover up the truth and do not listen to the experts.
Something that could have have been stopped in Wuhan has led to thousands of deaths and millions of lives affected because of poor bureaucracy.
We barely managed to handle it this time, maybe we won’t the next.
The pandemic’s origins in the fresh markets of Wuhan also shows what happens when we mismanage nature and the repurcussions that can occur when we take her for granted.
We cannot afford to keep doing so, not with the flora and fauna and not with the climate.
No more normal
So no, we cannot go back to the way things were.
We live on a planet where only 1 per cent of the water is drinkable, not just for us, but for all life on earth.
This is just one issue that the climate crisis will exacerbate. It will affect our food security issues. It will affect our health care issues. It will affect and exacerbate all the issues that we saw during the pandemic.
Empires have gone to war over less. Revolutions have been started over less.
The global system needs to be fixed and it needs strong leadership, now. Tribalism, nationalism, those are the barriers to the cooperation needed to face future problems that will arise.
But before we can get there, we must find our collective voice and political will.
Time for change
Remember what kind of changes were possible during this pandemic, when our world leaders chose to cooperate and focus on what mattered, placing their people as a top priority and allowing money to come second.
We saw potential in the kinds of sustainable cities we could achieve, one where people, planet and profit can co-exist and hopefully thrive.
Remember, the daily commodities we consumed so mindlessly, available on-demand and purchasable with money. For years, we’ve used and wasted with no regards to its origin and destination, its priced value and its irreplaceable source. The pandemic has allowed us to pause and reflect on this and plan a world where we live more sustainably.
Remember those who deliver your mail, serve your food, collect your garbage, and cure your illnesses. For long, we’ve overlooked and underpaid these people who ensure things run smoothly. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and you realize our cities don’t just run themselves. Farmers, doctors and all our essential workers, these are the people who are indispensable now and will be even more in the future. We must begin to take care of them better and with more compassion.
Remember how many people volunteered and donated to help others in need. We do not have to live in the cynical, self-hating world of social media. Remember that you are part of a community that is only as valuable as what you put in. Get to know your neighbours, get to know your local leaders, become active and get involved.
Lastly, remember how many things we didn’t need, and cherish the things we truly do. During the lockdown, we didn’t die without shopping for new clothes every week, and even our shiny car couldn’t bring us joy. Instead what did bring happiness was a chat with our loved ones, learning how to bake, and maybe just watching the clouds fly by. The consumerism and materialism that fuels carbon emissions and climate change should die along with this virus.
The COVID-19 curve has now begun to flatten and markets around the world are beginning to reopen. Businesses have resumed, carbon emissions are on the rise and money markets whine for stimulus.
But remember as you return to your pre-covid routine what truly matters and maybe, just maybe, we use this terrible pandemic as a springboard to something better.
