The Human-Nature Relation: COVID-19 – Is nature trying to tell us something?

The Human-Nature Relation: COVID-19 – Is nature trying to tell us something?

Hamid Pouran is a Lecturer in Environmental Technology in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton. 

The air is clean, the water is blue, and nature has returned to cities. Wildlife venture into urban spaces and even atmosphere is rebuilding itself. The world looks as wonderful as Louis Armstrong sang 50 years ago only with one exception; friends do not shake hands anymore. In fact, no aspect of our lives is like what it was just a few months ago; everything is on halt. Perhaps Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is the biosphere natural response to our non-stop damage to the environment. Maybe as Inger Anderson, the new director of the UN Environment Program believes; "nature is sending us a message."  

Indeed, the humbling experience that we are going through reminds us that we are just a small part of the ecosystem. Nevertheless, we are the only species that has unparalleled abilities. No one has ever heard of an aeroplane designed by a dog, a submarine built by monkeys or dolphins that can stay underwater for more than 15 minutes because of their oxygen canisters. So, considering our abilities, to what extent can we interfere with our planet components to achieve our goals and desires? In other words, how can we define the borders of dos and don'ts in our relationship with the ecosystem?

Can we build a hydroelectric dam on any river that makes it a commercially viable project? If some groups of people are interested in eating exotic meats and there would be no threat of animal extinction, shall we accept it? What is our moral responsibility towards nature? Several generations ago asking such questions would have been unthinkable, but now we have got to this point. Some of these questions are so vast, general and debatable it makes us wonder if there is any correct answer for them. Perhaps the assumption that we are different from nature and superior to it is the underlying reason for the current fragile state of the environment suggesting that we as Homo sapiens, literally meaning "wise man", are not that wise after all. 

We may have different opinions on having some innate principles in our nature that make us think morally about our relationship with the environment. But we have all seen the consequences of our negligence, from pollution to climate change. Currently, there are overwhelmingly accepted universal principles that guide us and, in many cases, force us to minimise our negative impact on the environment. 

Two hundred years ago, we were not in a position to have a tangible impact on the earth’s ecosystem, but now we are. A prime example is the increased greenhouse gases emissions over recent decades that have made ocean acidification a troubling reality and put the lives of thousands of marine species in danger. Nature is an ever-evolving entity. Evolution and natural selection are the intrinsic parts of life on this planet. Swampy rainforests were thriving near the South Pole about 90 million years ago, but now instead, we have sweeping expanses of ice. We cannot protect every species on earth, nor is it our responsibility. But we ought to care about the ecosystem. Some environmentalists are pleased that nature is healing, that's understandable. Still, the lifestyle that Coronavirus has imposed upon us is not the way that we want to decrease our footprint on the planet. The world is on pause; there are no public events, borders are closed, and millions of people have to stay at home, none of this is a programmatic or sustainable way of protecting the environment or improving its quality.

Economically weak countries and increasing poverty with a thriving environment is not a world that we would aim for. That's why avoiding a compromise between economic development, and sustainable environment is more critical than ever. This goal could be only achieved through sustainable development and if we ask what's best for us rather than what's best for me. Such a concept is manifested in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, also known as SDGs, which are a road map to achieve a better future for all. SDGs, which are a collection of 17 global goals, cover subjects from innovation and infrastructure to inequalities. Unlike the two ends of the spectrum; those who are focused on making noises about environmental concerns and species’ extinctions and the industries who claim they are too insignificant to affect the global ecosystem; SDGs are founded on a realistic and pragmatic understanding of the planet and human needs. Sustainable development goals are based on three pillars; economic growth, social justice and environmental sustainability.

In other words, only plans and projects that are built on these three pillars will work for our best interests as a community, species and part of the ecosystem. Anything else at best would lead to short-term success and long-term failure. Realising that there is no such thing as winning for the industry or the environment in this. Everlasting coexistence is the key to fulfilling our responsibility towards ourselves and other species on the planet. Perhaps that's the message nature is trying to send us.