We cannot sustain life, or do business, on a dead planet

As people ponder our current situation, and question how we got here, we increasingly get asked the question “is this nature fighting back at us?” It is a good question. There is not, of course, any sentient being called “nature,” but there is a biosphere upon which we depend for our very existence that has been abused to a staggering degree as human “development” has “progressed,” fixated on relentless growth. Maybe COVID-19 is just the latest in a series of metaphorical warning shots that things are running out of control.

For too long, the urban middle-class we are part of has pretended to live in a sheltered bubble, protected from natural hazards, with everything under our control. Where the accumulation of wealth and goods was presumably the sole aim in life.

Now we are starting to realize that our bubble has fragile walls. Our ingenuity and desire for more means that human “needs” are unlimited, but the biosphere has limits to its capacity to meet them. The planet is governed by physical, chemical and biological laws and processes that set those limits (we call this limit “biocapacity”). If we push our demand on nature too far, beyond those limits, then the consequences are negative for all occupants of the planet, including those who had thought they lived in a secure bubble.

The amount of vegetation has halved over human history. More than 70 per cent of the earth’s land surface has been altered, and 66 per cent of the oceans compromised. Populations of wild terrestrial vertebrates have shrunk by 60 per cent and of the remaining animal life on the planet, 59 per cent is livestock and 36 per cent human beings. And so, the pushback comes in all shapes and forms, whether it’s climate heating as a consequence of excessive CO2 emissions, or depleted and polluted groundwater reserves, or natural areas exploited. This assault on the biosphere increases the risk of diseases like COVID-19.

SARS, MERS, Ebola and HIV all came from nature. They were “mild” warnings. But we didn’t learn, believing our bubbles would protect us, and that our technological and scientific wizardry mastered them. So, we plowed on with our heads down. We now see events unfold like a science fiction or horror movie, yet it is our own new reality. It is clear that increasing the stress on the biosphere will lead to more surprises, potentially worse than COVID-19.

We cannot take nature for granted. We need to learn to live as part of, not as an enemy of it. This means that our survival depends on keeping our consumption and production aspirations within the limits of the planet. Otherwise the damage will run out of control swiftly, or more slowly as in the case of planetary heating.

We have the capacity to live with nature. But it requires decisions to operate within those limits. There are the data and tools available which enable such decisions to be taken. But we lack the political and corporate will to use and apply them. It is still not too late.

With the 50th anniversary of Earth Day upon us it would be well to remember: a healthy planet can support life, and can ensure modest economic growth, societal well-being and a stable climate. We cannot sustain life, never mind do business, on a dead planet. Prof Atif Kubursi is former undersecretary United Nations and emeritus professor of economics McMaster University, Dr. Chris Hails is former program director, WWF International, Switzerland; Prof. Ravi de Costa, chair of the Presidents Sustainability Council, York University.