COVID-19 and its impact on Environment

COVID and Environment

Lockdown has resulted in many positives at least in environmental terms.

It led wildlife busy searching their ancestral homes in what now turned into concrete jungles.

Critically endangered Malabar civet is spotted in the heart of Kozhikode city.

It led to decreasing pollution levels in rivers and aquatic habitats.

Choking Ganges dolphins from decades finally cleansed their bodies.

Source: Down to Earth

It made the air we breathe pleasant. Freed us from toxic fumes and black face packs we wear daily moving through the cities.

Air pollution levels hit record low in almost all over the globe.

Our surroundings free from noise. No honking in the bustling urban spaces.

Now it is a treat for gossipers and eavesdroppers, who can hear clearly what’s happening in their next apartments.

Less consumption of fossil fuels due to large scale restrictions on transport. Which will in turn reduce the GHG (Green House Gas) emissions.

This forced oil producing companies to cut their supply and even led to negative pricing in oil futures. Click here for more info. regarding this.

Negative Impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic also raises serious questions regarding environement.

 

• Developmental push of the nations in the post pandemic scenario will lead to backtracking of the ongoing environmental dialogues and mechanisms. 

EG: India has approved more than a hundred development projects within 2 months of lockdown.

https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/what-govt-did-to-environment-21499

• Funding may decrease - due to recession grappling the economies. 

• Countries may revert back to cheaper fossil fuels instead of costly renewable sources like solar panels and windmills.

 

Governments and civil society must need to understand that with climate change and increased human interference with wildlife will only increase risks just like the current crisis. 

Sustainable use of nature and slowing down the current climate change is the only viable option before humans to restore the balance.
 



 

Kerala elephant and Himachal cattle incident - What does this mean?

Recent disturbing cracker filled cruelty have led to raging debate across animal lovers all across the country.

With ongoing lockdown the animals are starving more than humans. This is true of animals living close to human communities like monkeys, stray dogs, feral cats. With starving stomachs the animals are in search of food. when they see a human offering something, they only think that we humans are helping them. But what turns out is a sadistic mentality of people killing these animals by luring them with food.

A even more shocking co-incidence is both the animals are pregnant, requiring more food than they actually consume. Maybe this is what drove them into the midst of heartless humans.

We should condemn such incidents. Physical abuse whether it is a human or animal must be treated with same strictness.

Indian culture sees divinity in every living creature. What is the use if Ganesha (Elephant god) and Gomatha (Mother cow)  are worshipped in the form of rocks and statues in temples not in their real forms?

When contradictions are becoming the new norm, rationality are humanity meet their nadir.

Winning the war against COVID-19 -- A piece of strategy inspired by Sun Tzu

SUN TZU - Has given many ideas to what a commander should be. After UN has declared the corona crisis as the biggest after World War 2 , world leaders must act swiftly and decisively. In this crucial times,  SUN TZU thoughts are relevant and will help to us navigate through this dark phase. We are at war with corona, let our commander be SUN TZU.

When you engage in actual fighting , if victory is long in coming , then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped .- Chaper 2

The war against COVID is long lasting. According to WHO it is here to stay. In such scenario we must device strategies to lessen the burden on already strained state resources. We must find innovative solutions and engage third parties like civil society to develop local action plans based on the severity and demographics.

If you know yourself but not the enemy , for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat . If you know neither the enemy nor yourself , you will succumb in every battle. - Chapter 3

Our enemy is an invisble force. We are still trying to understand how the virus spreads and how long it survives outside human body. This knowning the enemy is very key to devise strategies for comabt. For this collboration on a large scale should happen, transcending narrow barriers of nationalism. The earlier the knowledge of enemy, the easier the war.

Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow ; decision , to the releasing of a trigger - Chapter 5.

The spending of resources- the bailout packages to revive economies has been taken. The real impact of the decisons depend upon the implementation. Leaders and policy makers must brainstorm how the released money energises the economies and put them back on track.

After crossing a river , you should get far away from it . -Chapter 9

Many governments, after so called bending a curve are becoming lax. This is very dangerous as there can be a second wave just like what happened with Spanish flu. So, governments must remain vigil montoring the conditions in real time and be prepared for the second wave.



 COVID-19 is testing the human civilisation. We must not let the virus to win this war at any cost. This needs determination and serious policy from all parts of the world.

Rabindranth Tagore - Excerpts from his essay "Nationalism"

Rabindranth tagore is a polestar in Indian literature. His intellectual contributions to the world are still relevant today.

Let us look at some thoughts of Gurudev Rabindranth Tagore. These are excerpts from his work 'Nationalism'

Free your mind

• An automobile does not create freedom of movement, because it is a mere machine. When I myself am free I can use the automobile for the purpose of my freedom.

• When you borrow things that do not belong to your life, they only serve to crush your life.

• It is a sign of laziness and impotency to accept conditions imposed upon us by others who have other ideals than ours.

• When our knowledge is vague we are apt to accuse of vagueness our object of knowledge itself.

• You can borrow knowledge from others, but you cannot borrow temperament.

• It is easy to be unfair in one's judgment when one is faced with human miseries,—and pessimism is the result of building theories while the mind is suffering.

• The living organism does not allow itself to grow into its food, it changes its food into its own body. And only thus can it grow strong and not by mere accumulation, or by giving up its personal identity.

• But he says, "You do not make any progress, there is no movement in you." I ask him, "How do you know it? You have to judge progress according to its aim. A railway train makes its progress towards the terminus station,—it is movement.But a full-grown tree has no definite movement of that kind, its progress is the inward progress of life. It lives, with its aspiration towards light tingling in its leaves and creeping in its silent sap."

Hard times - India's tryst with COVID-19

These are my reflections on the current corona crisis. A satirical piece of work on India's situation during the crisis.

How funny we are blind,

Imperceptive to our mind.

Miniscule crown boasting elegence,

Wreaks havoc from every side

It travels in jets and skies -- which poor cannot afford

But makes home in poor dwellings thereafter.

I am good - please don't hate me,

Cause i've exposed the good and worthless in your state.

Sanitizers and costly rubs,

Alcohol is the much needed push.

Jailed in our cages,

Homeless took to highways and rail tracks on their way.

Deafness increased drastically,

Affected the poweful in a more severe way.

Take more money everyone,

Keeping your interest in our mind

We locked we clapped we banged the plates.

Diyas lit our hearts for we remained in darkness.

Dumber the fact and fake the news,

O god! save us from this filthy affair.