Corona’s Message To Ponder and Act

By: Asad Mirza

The Corona virus pandemic, which has tormented the world for the last 6 months and is now in full bloom, after devastating China and some European countries has also, brought some changes to the thinking that how the future relationship between the nature and humans should be managed.

Just like a coin with two sides, Corona too brought unprecedented alarm besides panic and immediate counter measures to manage it across the world. It has also forced us to pause for a while and think how we are managing our affairs with the nature.

However, not all effects of the Corona crisis are negative. While the news about Corona’s devastation continued, along with the resulting worldwide Lockdown, some positive stories about the natural changes also started appearing, which certainly brought a smile to our faces. Paradoxical as it may sound, but it could be surmised that Corona might be a timely wellness program for our environment and planet earth.

There were reports from several European countries of better air, clean atmosphere, water in canals and rivers turning much cleaner, birds and animals appearing at places where they have not been seen for a while. In Wuhan, where the outbreak initially began back in December ‘19, the sky, which is usually home to dangerous air pollution levels, has turned blue. The change has been attributed to travel bans and the pause in factory work. Elsewhere, in Italy, data from the European Space Agency (ESA) has demonstrated a distinct drop in the air pollutant-nitrogen dioxide between the months of January and March, when coronavirus first took hold.

Similarly in India, there were reports of a cleaner Ganga in Kanpur and Varanasi-two cities where it is the most polluted, a cleaner Yamuna in Delhi, residents of foothill cities in Punjab able to see the majestic Himalayan mountain ranges from their rooftops besides birds chirping and animals wandering into human habitats at night in big cities.

Perhaps all this has happened due to some positive impact of the worldwide Lockdown, which resulted in decreased vehicular movements, stopping of trains and airplanes, factories belching out less smoke, thus polluting the atmosphere with less carbon and nitrogen pollutants, and in turn the Mother Nature started healing itself. This silver lining of the Lockdown has cheered the humans across the globe, but it should also force us to ponder over some basic issues regarding our manufacturing and consumption patterns.

We’ll have to give a serious thought to our insatiable hunger for comfort; in the name of comfort and ease we have adopted many technologies and products, which are ultimately detrimental to the humans and ultimately the nature. We’ll have to rethink about use and throw mentality and instead start using renewable resources in a more judicial manner. An example in this case is the increased use of plastics. Over the years due to ease and convenience we have adopted so much plastic in our daily life, that it’s disposal seems to be an insurmountable task, with plastic mountains growing taller and the dumps in the sea increasing, across the world.

We’ll have to think seriously what is good for us and in turn nature, and then tweak our way of life and start using those materials or technology only, which are not so harmful to both of us, as our survival is mutual. We’ll have to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels like coal, petrol and work out better solar and renewable energy options, think of ways to reduce travel by road, air or trains and instead use new information technological tools to increase productive at work place, a percentage of which could be home based also.

What Corona has taught us is that we can actually diminish a lot of work related travel, resulting in less vehicular pollution, people could very well work from home, thus managing a better work-life balance and health, as less or no time will be taken by the daily commute, less office space means opening up spaces for more affordable housing and public spaces or parks. Instead of organising huge conferences with hundreds of delegates attending we can have video conferencing tools used to achieve the same results, and it has been shown that this is possible during the current crisis. Just a rough calculation will reveal a high number of people who wouldn’t have to be stuck in traffic jams for hours every morning and evening, leading to less stress because of that. How many less would have to take sick leave and miss work? And, last but not least, the extent to which we would be able to curb vehicular pollution would be considerable.

Another important aspect to give a thought could be redevising the manufacturing industries all over the globe. To handle increasing pollution at their end, Europe and America shifted most of their manufacturing facilities to China and Asia. Now, manufactured goods from Asia are sent halfway around the globe in countless container ships for weeks on end. These ships pollute the air and the seas, leaving a trail of environmental damage. Relocating manufacturing facilities would thereby make a significant contribution to environmental preservation. Similarly, it will not hamper the supply chains in the manner in which Corona affected it, when China was overtaken by the pandemic and it was forced to shut most of its factories. Instead we need a balanced manufacturing scattered across the globe.

An increase in disease outbreaks over the past decades and outbreak of virus outbreaks like Ebola and Zika can be linked to climate change and biodiversity loss, as per the World Economic Forum. For example, deforestation is linked to 31% of disease outbreaks, because felling trees drives animals out of their natural habitats, making them more likely to come into contact with humans and pass on disease.

History has taught us that it is precisely at moments such as this that mankind comes up with creative solutions.

Perhaps this biggest global crisis in recent history has also become the biggest opportunity for humankind in quite a while. A crisis, from which it could emerge stronger. Provided that after Corona, we will continue to do things differently and more effectively and understand the message that nature is sending us right now.

The Corona pandemic also had had a negative impact on the Muslim community across the world. Due to its contagious nature, Umrah has been curtailed at Makkah Mukarrama and there are planes to cancel the Hajj this year, apart from almost all mosques in countries around the world, curtailing the congregation for daily Namaaz. Perhaps all this also gives Muslims all across the world and in India in particular, to think how steadfast are we in our religious duties. Though the actions of several kind hearted Muslims across the country has shown the charity-focussed and caring for others attitude of Indian Muslims. Yet, it would be good if we could still pause and analyse how much of the Islamic teachings have we imbibed in our daily life.

First of all the Indian Muslims would be in a better place if they eschew their sectional divide of Deobandis, Barelvis, Tablighi, Ahle Hadeeth etc. Allah made you one and your enemy also sees you as one, as the recent acts of anti-Tablighi response of non-Muslims in India have shown. Thus we’ll have to shun or sectional division. And rise as one and adopt the true Islamic practices in our personal, professional and religious life too, to show to the world, how a true Muslim lives and care for other human beings and for Mother Earth.

In conclusion, the Corona might be having a disastrous effect on humans. No question about that. For the world, however, it does engender – under duress – exactly what environmental activists and the Fridays For Future demonstrators have been demanding for months: a careful use of natural resources and Planet Earth, to save us and earth, both.

Thanks to Corona, Planet Earth has at least a bit of breathing space for now.

About the author:

Asad Mirza is a Sr journalist based in New Delhi. In his career spanning more than 20 years, he was associated with BBC Urdu Service and Khaleej Times of Dubai. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs and interfaith issues. Email: asad.mirza.nd@gmail.com