Sustain the planet, sustain our future: Warning signals from the COVID-19 Pandemic
The world has been suffering from a dangerous pandemic. Zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 often emerge from the exploitation of nature and wildlife. Restoring our ecosystems and maintaining the balance of nature is of utmost importance. Will we continue on the unsustainable path we are treading on, or heed the warning signals from the pandemic, and sustain our planet to sustain our future?
As I write this today, the world is reeling under a deadly pandemic, the likes of which has never been witnessed before. SARS-CoV-2, a pathogenic coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease has ravaged the world, brought suffering to people everywhere and caused innumerable deaths, enormous economic damage and social upheaval. Even as the world gradually opens up after numerous lockdowns, the impact of the pandemic remains, haunting us. It has made us reflect on a lot of things, including our relationship with Mother Earth.
A growing body of research suggests that zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 are caused by the unsustainable exploitation of nature and wildlife. Destructive practices such as intensive farming, large-scale deforestation, rapid urbanisation, population growth, mining and exploitation of wildlife, wet markets, hunting for sport and bush meat have led to widespread habitat and biodiversity loss. This is placing us in close contact with animals and creating zoonotic hotspots which increase the risks of zoonotic pathogens leaping from animal hosts or reservoirs to humans.
Unbridled consumerism and overexploitation of natural resources and wildlife pave the way for our own destruction- a stark reality that has been ignored by the world for decades. According to The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commonly called CDC, 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases in people are spread from animals. We need to take drastic steps today to reverse the ecological damage that has been done and prevent mass pandemics from occurring in the future. The need of the moment is to build more resilient systems while prioritising environmental protection and restoration.
Large scale restoration of natural ecosystems, better environmental regulations and investments in green industries with the help of the public and private sector is crucial for environmental recovery. We must move closer to a circular economy, an economic system that is regenerative by design and aims at eliminating the continual consumption and wastage of resources. A circular economy will not just benefit nature, but also businesses and individuals as they will produce and consume reusable products and capture more value from the resources and materials.
Other solutions include engaging and educating children and adults on environmental trends, perspectives and narratives. Education and awareness about the impact of unsustainable economic systems and the hidden costs of economic development is crucial for a healthy and green recovery. Educational institutions and popular media outlets need to educate people and make them understand the interrelationship between nature and economic systems. This would equip them with skills to develop proactive strategies which will help them in addressing the challenges presented by these systems as well.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for all of us. It is a manifestation of our unbalanced relationship with nature which needs to be mended now. By engaging in reckless unsustainable activities, we are altering natural ecosystems and putting ourselves in danger. There’s a need for global biosecurity measures and change must come from both developed and developing societies. We need to immediately change our course of action, care more for the natural world and take pro-environmental actions. We can sustain the human race only if we are able to sustain the planet first.
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