The change we needed but did not expect

50 years ago, Denis Hayes, then a 25-year-old graduate student, organized the first Earth Day. 20 million Americans, which was 10 percent of the United States population at the time, joined the movement. Today this environmental movement continues to drive transformative change for people and the planet.

In this unclear times, nature is reminding us, although by ‘force’, that we are a part of it and not apart from it. It has taken a virus, a global pandemic, for us to stop, look, and listen to what we human beings have been doing to the planet. COVID – 19, which started as just a small outbreak in Wuhan City, Hebei Province, China in late 2019 has (at the time of writing this) 2,397,216 confirmed cases and 162,956 deaths globally. The number is rising every day and countries are taking all measures to flatten the curve.

Commercial travel has stopped. Local movement has stopped or is being reduced. All of a sudden, we can’t travel to discuss what to do with planet earth to ensure sustainability for the future. Nature has decided for us that we must change and adapt to a new normal. Many people want to go back to the way things were but that’s not happening. We have to seriously discuss our impacts on planet earth as a human race.

“There are opportunities even in the most difficult moments.” – Wangari Maathai

With less travel comes a significant drop in carbon emissions as oil prices. A commodity global environmental movements have campaigned against to be reduced or even stopped and urging governments to transition to electric or even zero waste movement such as walking or riding a bicycle. But guess what, we don’t even need to move as much as we thought we needed to. Meetings are being held online, classes are online, global conversations are online through webinars, conferences and festivals are virtual and even musicians are entertaining us live online. The internet and how to effectively use the one thing that is keeping us connected has become a huge resource for those who are privileged enough to access it.

However, when all this is over, will we change? Will we realize we don’t need to travel for a one day conference or festival and we can do it virtually? When you look at the travel carbon footprint, whether air, cruise, or road, it is highly unsustainable. From the fuel to the plastic waste generated and even food waste.

Tourism in many countries has been affected. This global pandemic is an entire game-changer, and it will take a while for the industry to get back to its normal high. But at this point in time, I do believe this is a good thing because afterward, it may rise when the tourism industry accepts this new normal. Domestic tourism should be the number one priority. Local people should be included in the manifestation of achieving a successful tourism industry. Kenya, for example, is diverse and as local tourism operators have halted their travel plans when all this is somehow over and their marketing plans are considerate of the local people, I see a surge in local tours and the general outdoor experience as local people across the world find relief in what they are missing at the moment – a connection with nature. This will be a new normal to explore the outdoors now more than we ever did.

The COVID – 19 Pandemic has also clearly shown us one thing, our manufacturing industry is capable of producing resources. We need to reduce importing items such as textiles to be used in items such as clothing and Personal Protective Equipments. However, we honestly do not need BT cotton. Organic cotton is sustainable and we need to look at this now for our future needs. We can also grow our own food organically. This is the perfect time to discuss and implement ways to make the future better for people and the planet.

Earth day should be everyday day and this year is a time to reflect on what we all can do to make the world a better place for all. To develop our own health so that we don’t need to look for better health care services outside our own countries. To develop our own industry from domestic tourism to manufacturing to food and to support local conservation efforts working with communities and children to ensure the sustainability of our resources.

“The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” —John Paul II

We cannot ignore the fact that COVID – 19 is a zoonotic disease that resulted from the consumption of wild animals. Our interactions with nature is to be considered, from deforestation to poaching to pollution to the oil and gas industry. We exhilarated the chances of this virus to thrive in our bodies and introduced it in our lives with ease.

More zoonotic diseases are waiting for us when we don’t change our ways of living and go back to normal as though nothing happened. Our new normal does not need this to happen all over again. The planet has a way of balancing itself and this is one of its measures to protect all of life on earth. People will die physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Lifestyles will be forced to change and unless we develop strategies to prevent the onset of more zoonotic diseases (which are many and ever-mutating depending on the host) we will be experiencing this in the long haul.

Today, as you stay at home this Earth Day, think about what you can do to create a better world for people and the planet. It could be as simple as reimagining our food systems, changing the way we plan events, focusing on domestic tourism, holding government accountability to prevent our green spaces from becoming concrete jungles, supporting local industries. Most of all starting from your own home – what you eat, growing your own food (I’m learning you don’t need to have a farm), what you use, and changing your lifestyle for a sustainable future.

Featured image by Tony Wild.

This post first appeared on Nyika Silika here.