The combination of an epidemic and climate hazards made 2020 one of the most difficult years in recent decades. Many of the disasters may once again dominate the world and harm humanity and nature, unless we radically change our behavior, since humanity plays a major and important part in creating the conditions for disasters
The past year was undoubtedly deadly. The corona epidemic is a negative record according to most residents of the western countries. The emphasis is on "the majority of the inhabitants of the Western countries" because with all the sorrow for the victims of the corona, it is worth remembering that every year millions die from malaria, typhus, cholera and other infectious diseases that medicine knows how to prevent. But the dead are mainly in African and Asian countries and as such "are not counted".
Extreme climatic events were added to the plague: floods, fires and storms, accompanied by locust swarms, deforestation and oil pollution events. Most of the injuries to the soul and the natural environment were in poor countries whose contribution to climate hazards is minimal.
The combination of an epidemic and climate hazards made 2020 one of the most difficult years in recent decades. Many of the disasters may once again dominate the world and harm humanity and nature, unless we radically change our behavior, since humanity plays a major and important part in creating the conditions for disasters.
In order to prevent the impact of the corona epidemic, many behavioral changes have been dictated, and it is appropriate that some of those changes will become a norm that will allow the prevention of additional hazards. When paying tribute to the past year and celebrating the arrival of 2021, it is appropriate that we learn and adopt patterns of behavior, some of which will be implemented because of the epidemic and other patterns of behavior that may prevent the outbreak of further epidemics and mitigate the harms of the climate.
The outbreak of epidemics such as the corona virus, which are transmitted from animals (zoonotic), can be prevented by well-known measures that will moderate the damage to habitats and the close contact between wild animals and people. These measures include stopping deforestation, slowing the expansion of industrial agriculture and stopping the poaching of wild animals.
Extreme weather phenomena are explained by the warming that results from the use of fossil fuel.
The closures, which caused financial and psychological damage to many, did indeed lead to a recession in pollutant emissions, but the emissions forecast shows that Without changes in behavior after the epidemic - the level of emissions will rise.
Therefore, before throwing the events of 2020 and the epidemic into the past, it is appropriate to study its positive effects and embrace them.
Stopping the ongoing damage to forests and biodiversity.
In the first months of the closures were seen Pictures of wild animals in my cities.
When the closures were lifted and economic activity returned, the monkeys, cats, birds and other species, did not disappear but returned to the tiny areas that were left for them, to habitats that are pushed out by cities and industrial plants. Today it is already clear that serious diseases originating from animals are spread more strongly when the habitats of animals are destroyed, therefore it is appropriate that 2021 be the year In which nature and the people who live in open areas will be protected.
Wearing masks, maintaining distance and hygiene were the important guidelines of the World Health Organization, and there is no doubt that following the guidelines will help mitigate epidemic outbreaks in the future by preventing the spread of viruses. At the same time, it turns out that disposable masks pollute the environment and therefore It is appropriate to use reusable masks.
Experience teaches about The environmental and health benefits of working from home.
Following the closures, more and more people and businesses moved to work from home, which resulted in significant savings in travel time and cost, less travel equals less air pollution. An added value to the traffic stop was the transition of many to bicycles and there is no doubt that this is a good transition for the environment and healthy for pedalers.
Social, business and family gatherings on Zoom.
The Paris Agreements to reduce emissions remained non-binding guidelines until the epidemic broke out and then it became clear that emissions can be reduced through business and social meetings through virtual means - Zoom. Less travel, less flights - equals less pollution!
Anyone who cares about a healthy environment understands the need to stop using single-use products. One of the environmental hazards that increased due to the epidemic was the use of single-use products, especially plastic. The world is flooded with disposable products that are thrown away and pollute the land, sea and air. aboutMillions of plastic bags are thrown away per minute. In the survey conducted,
It turned out that the amount of plastic flowing into the oceans will triple by 2040. The recognition of the situation led to the call to ban the production and use of disposable products, except that the epidemic "broke the dishes". The fear of spreading viruses caused the excessive use of disposable tools.
Demand for petroleum-derived plastic has encouraged the producers of the polluting mineral fuel whose use endangers human health and nature, therefore immediate steps must be taken to eradicate the plastic industries. It is appropriate that consumers learn to give up unnecessary packaging and use reusable bags for carrying groceries.
Today there are suitable substitutes that originate from natural plant materials from which tools can be created that will decompose and not cause contamination and poisoning. Change is difficult but important and possible.
Continuous use of electrical products
It turns out that despite the difficult economic situation, the citizens of the world continue to exchange phones and computers as if they were socks. Huge corporations manage to convince consumers to implement the "culture" of consumption and purchase new and unnecessary products that are high in cost while the good old product is thrown in the trash. Research in the USA shows that about 80% of the carbon pollution is directly or indirectly related to electrical products even before they are activated, this is because most of the electrical product industries are located in China where energy production is mainly based on coal. To get 100 grams of minerals for a mobile phone, about 300 kg of rocks are mined. In 2017, the amount of waste from electrical products was estimated at 65 million tons. It is appropriate that every consumer remembers these data when he is preparing to replace a working device.
Changes in consumer culture
The fashion industry is another one of the industries that relies on the "need" to innovate and replace, and the result is excess and unnecessary production of products for one-time seasonal use After a short time you reach the piles of garbage.
For a long period in 2020, many could remain dressed in a dressing gown, sweatpants or pajamas, which did not stop the manufacturers from (successful) attempts to market the fashionable clothing items, which are produced only to satisfy the consumer culture. There is no reason or excuse not to continue wearing clothes from last year if you can repair a torn garment and avoid an unnecessary purchase.
Go to the grocery store and cook your meals.
Preparing a meal from ingredients purchased at the neighborhood grocery store is satisfying, healthy and cheaper than visiting a restaurant. This also avoids wasting and throwing away food. You also gain a good walk for health. When you go to the grocery store and buy local products - you support local producers and prevent emissions from transportation.
It is necessary to stop and eradicate the culture of consumption. One of the more offensive problems is that "culture" that is spread by giant corporations and commercial companies that span the world. "Culture" that, with the help of advertising tricks and the use of "celebrities" and reality stars, causes a large audience to flock to vanity instead of being satisfied with what is needed. The central government has a significant part in this "culture" because of a significant lack of effective and advanced education.
Promotion of production and science
When for years there has been a decline in the importance of work, and "air businesses" become in demand and charlatans are promoted - it is appropriate that the central government should reverse the trend, and give production and science their rightful place. After the rapid development of the vaccine, even the unbelievers understand the need to promote scientists who will be ready for future challenges.
It is appropriate to trust and rely on science. 2020 posed enormous challenges that most of us successfully survived. Over two years, the Spanish flu killed about 50 million people, the corona virus killed almost 2 million a year and the vaccine has already been distributed. Despite all the setbacks along the way, it is worth noting those who put their trust in science and overcame the enormous challenges to ensure a better future for the world and humanity.
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To the gatekeeper, let's start by thanking you for your consideration,
In my view, skepticism is not for the sake of skepticism, only as a tool to get closer to the truth,
I do not doubt the scientific facts that were brought up in a compilation of facts that, in my opinion, are not backed up scientifically,
And the reason I refer to this is because it appears again and again in articles around the world that in my opinion are not backed by a serious body of research, again I mean the connections between the facts not the facts themselves,
I try to avoid provocation and, like the author of the article, I am definitely attached to his view that the environment and nature and animals are a first-class moral value, and also at the level that you erase millions of years of evolution, you lose knowledge that his contribution is enormous to man and to disappear forever is a terrible loss, but a lack of connection between the facts, in my opinion, is more harmful than helpful because you I'm not trying to convince those who are convinced like me, these are those who are not connected to the same concept, and when the argument doesn't hold up, your ability to convince won't exist either, I hope this clarifies what I'm trying to convey, in any case, the very fact that you see what I brought up as a form of harassment tells me that I need to improve The way of conveying my message so that you don't cause this kind of antagonism any more regarding what I brought up even if you don't accept my opinion that it's perfectly fine,
So thanks again for your comment, best regards
Mr. Skeptic
Skepticism is an important quality provided it is used correctly,
To question scientific facts that are backed by studies
Just to create this worthless and unnecessary debate,
To treat a ruling or a trial by taking it out of the general context
And of all the things, this is petty harassment,
A response that is aimed only to wave skepticism at a conference
without a significant basis
An interesting summary, the good thing is that there are many correct topics and really good intentions, the less good thing is that their connection is inaccurate and far from being scientific even if you repeat it like a mantra it does not make it right, on the contrary it harms the right things,
Why is going to a restaurant less good than going to the supermarket? What's the connection anyway? There are restaurants where the food is good and healthy and there are some that are not, at home it happens that we throw out expired food and the same thing happens in the restaurant, so why is it brought up here at all?, regarding outbreaks of epidemics like the koruna that are transmitted from animals (zoonotic) it is clear that there is a connection between our closeness to animals and the transmission of diseases from the same The reason is that social distancing prevents infection and this includes all the farm animals and the house, the cat Mozzi and our favorite brown dog and also the cat that sits on the trash can, so what are we going to do to eliminate them? I don't think so, in addition there is no connection between this and deforestation, which is a sick evil of a different kind, humans did not live for millions of years in a sterile environment in the apartment building, on the contrary, once man's proximity to living was much closer, there is no area or forest where humans have not traveled, man has always He preferred to settle in places where there were lots of animals
For the same reason that the animals were there sources of water, food, easy passage from one area to another, all this always placed humans next to the animals, the reason for the speed of infection today is the jet age where what happens today in Wuhan tomorrow happens in the rest of the world, it is the fast transportation connection and the human density that makes epidemics an easy life And also the human cultures that, except for the cultures of the Far East, for the most part do not cope well with the demands for social distancing, masks, etc.
Now we can only hope that vaccines will really stop the epidemic, otherwise we will face a new historical period
A period in which we are under an incessant attack of diseases, let's settle for that
The most significant deterioration for humanity as a whole
The interpersonal relationships - the connections between us -
Human love is no longer something - what is happening to us?