International Mother Earth Day: Lessons from Covid-19

INTERNATIONAL environmental lobby Group IM Sweden has said the outbreak of Covid-19 has brought to the fore, the vulnerability of global interdependence and has called for solidarity, equality and broader participation in the fight against the climate crisis.

In a statement ahead of the International Mother Earth Day commemoration today, the organisation said there was need, through resilient and sustainable local communities, to prepare earnestly for the climate emergency which appeared to be a worsening crisis.

“In a crisis, the politically impossible can quickly become the politically inevitable. In recent months, it has become evident how brittle our society is: just-in-time manufacturing, record debt, and increasing precarity mean there is no margin of error. The (Covid-19) virus has led to a severe economic downturn that, coupled with xenophobia and layoffs, creates a dangerous cocktail.

“The impact from the pandemic will be much greater for low-income, houseless, undocumented, or disabled peoples who experience systematic discrimination. Migrants and refugees will suffer. The rich and well-connected will be protected by easy access to credit and public funds.

“The same inequality is present in the climate crisis even though it is the emissions of large companies and the wealthy few that are pushing humanity towards disaster,” said the organisation. IM Sweden has 14 partner organisations from four continents, including Simukai Child Protection Programme (Zimbabwe). The International Mother Earth Day was established in 2009 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly under resolution A/ RES/63/278 which recognises that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home” and that “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.” Speaking ahead of this year’s commemoration, United Nations Secretary

General Antonio Guterres said: We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption.” Since 1938, IM Sweden has fought against exploitation, poverty, racism, and inequality, issues it says, lie at the heart of the climate crisis.

“Today, the IM partner ecosystem is a solidarity network that stretches over 15 countries on four continents. The challenges we face are similar despite different contexts, particularly those related to the climate crisis.

“We defend against corporations that seize land and poison the air and water. We protect land and biodiversity, and help people use water in better ways. We advise and train governments and communities in disaster risk reduction, water management, agricultural techniques and flood prevention.”

The organisation was also supporting communities to become more self-sufficient and prepared for climatic changes while fight for equality and against authoritarianism in all its forms. “However, all of this will amount to little if governments do not take the opportunity that coronavirus has provided. Current approaches are too slow and too focused on preserving the status quo.” Rich countries had to shoulder most of the burden, both to provide funds for global mitigation and adaptation measures and to slash their unsustainable consumption. There was need for resilient societies with a fertile environment for cooperation between state and community that could continue to function as external shocks hit.

“If food production is secure, we are safer from disruptions in food supply chains; if water is used more efficiently, droughts are more manageable; if people have the capacity to act themselves in times of crisis they are less dependent on governments,” said the organisation which has cooperating partners in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Moldova, Palestine, Jordan, Nepal, Guatemala and El Salvador.