The Aftermath of COVID – 19

In 6, 12, 18 or 24 months’ time, will the post COVID -19 world be a different place? It’s hard to tell. At the moment, some are trying hard to take advantage of the stock market volatility, others are trying their hand at hoarding and many others are just trying to safeguard the most precious thing they can expect to lose – their life. They all have one thing in common. They are trying to manufacture certainty in an uncertain situation. This time the enemy cannot be seen, cannot be heard but can be felt. Thus, it has to be respected if not feared.

Whether the world will be a different place hinges on what we learn out of the current situation and apply in the aftermath. History proves that when a situation like the current one arises, we bring our heads together, work hard, and come out of it successfully. No doubt that will certainly happen. But then, within a years’ time complacency will set in and we will start forgetting the lessons learnt so hard. New global rules will be made, some improvements will kick in but the really hard decisions will be left to fester in the ‘too hard’ basket. So what are the hard decisions that need to be taken to make the world a different place? Some if not all on the laundry list are:

1.    At the time of writing this, the world population was 7.7 Billion. Isn’t that too much? In the post COVID-19 world, can there be global understanding on this human population explosion. Can countries whose population is growing at an exponential rate commit to have a population control regime? Can responsible population growth be given priority over social and religious traditions, customs and beliefs? When natural calamities come, last thing they care about are religious and cultural beliefs. 

2.    With industrial revolution, globalization and the networked economy, migration across continents has grown. Most, if not all, is strictly economic. Why are people migrating in the first place? It is because their governments have failed them in a big way. Obviously, there is foreign intervention in many cases but mostly this is because some countries are in a deep hole that they can never expect to come out of. So, the only solution is to create a global system which checks migration by spreading economic prosperity faster than planned. How long can we keep elitist organizations like the broken UN, G7, G20 and so on functioning? Why not a G – Earth? We need global policemen but not dictatorial countries who attempt to direct the world for their own twisted ideologies and supremacy. The current international economic and political system is clearly meant to create a group of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. This along with irresponsible, selfish political, religious and cultural ideologies have ruined some countries, so much so that migration is the only option for their citizens. This results in friction across the world. Why can’t we create a global economic system which provides citizens in a particular region better opportunities and life closer to home?

3.    Studies have shown that to produce 1 kg of meat, 5,000-20,000 litres of water is required while to produce the same quantity of wheat only 500 to 4,000 litres of water is required. So what do we do? We grow food, feed it to livestock, make them fat, cut them up, process them, pack them, sell them, buy them and eat them. Isn’t it a strange process created by and for a mammal with 4 canines? Can’t we grow food for our own consumption? In the aftermath of COVID-19, we must step back from our own selfish interventions in the animal world. So, the next time, you eat meat, think about it! If all meat eaters give up meat completely for even 1 day per week, there will be a very positive impact on biodiversity, climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, strict control over wet markets and change in food habits and behaviors can possibly result in a goodbye to Ebola, MERS, SARS, COVID-19 and many other deadly viruses, known and unknown. Do remember, the choice of eating meat was not religion or culture specific but it olden days, in deserts and cold places, meat was the only choice. Now, with better agricultural, transportation and refrigeration technologies, we can choose to stay away or cut down on meat consumption. Planet Earth will heave a sigh of relief the day this happens.

4.    It is great that we have a globalized economy. But, perhaps, the balance has been lost. A mix of diversified insourcing and outsourcing works better. Yes, it does cost more in the short term but in the long term it has its own mix of benefits. So a globalized world needs to de-globalize bit by bit. It will reduce global risks and also create a much wanted balanced economic order. 

5.    Lastly (but not the last), the world needs to speed up adaption of remote technologies. Millions of workers worldwide commute or drive to work under one roof not because the technology doesn’t exist but because the organizations they work for have a control and trust issue. Why can’t we improve on using work from home technologies? Also, can there be a global understanding on tapping into more solar power, use of electric cars and other environmentally friendly technologies. Currently, economic reasons than technological ones keep postponing the wider acceptance of these technologies.

Thus, the aftermath of COVID-19 will be defined by whether humans can choose to change their habits, behaviors and long held customs, traditions and beliefs which have been choking the world.