No, this pandemic is not nature’s way of healing

THE coronavirus pandemic has been, indeed, such a harrowing, unprecedented global crisis affecting the world that we know today. Wreaking havoc in its wake, taking the lives of nearly 17,000 people and putting billions in communal isolation. Its track has just begun to accelerate in its circulation around the planet, a threat so insidious that the largest airports and industrial factories have shut down. Congested roads have been emptied of cars, resulting in a decrease in the demand for energy and gas.

It is today, during this global war that put the lives of millions at stake, that the skies have turned clear. An irony. This is a sight so rare for many of us living within our concrete jungles. Sights of the sky that we have longed for, reminiscent of our hopeful imaginings, were awakened by a greater threat.

Satellite images and news from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration show the significant decrease in air pollution throughout the world. News of wildlife returning to emptied cities, which have been debunked, giving hope to many. Some now believe that this virus is nature’s way of healing, that we humans are the real virus in the planet. As if the skies turning clear justifies the death of 17,000 people from around the world.

Now, the problem with this perspective is that it is a misplaced sense of altruism that has been overly romanticized. No one deserves to die despite the urgent need of systemic reforms. This virus only reinforces the idea that our economic system — that has been fueled by capitalism, exploitation and unsustainable consumption — is the root of this global war we are fighting. Yes, the virus is a force of nature, but it was still man that forced it upon us. It was our insatiable human demand that has led to the destruction of the environment and the illegal consumption of wildlife that gave rise to this deadly contagion.

This pandemic is not a solution to our environmental problems. It only shows how truly detached we are as a community — the sight of millions of people dying is being considered more as a viable option than changing our economic systems and capitalistic societies. We have lost touch with our inner consciousness, of the political will and intention that are grounded in service for the marginalized and the voiceless, from wildlife to indigenous people to the urban poor.

Inclusive environmental policies and an economic system grounded on sustainable ethical practices that are honorably enforced and followed by both the governments and their citizens, are the only ways I can see for nature to heal. An ideal, but not impossible, foreseeable society. Saving the environment will never justify the death of any man.