Should there be a "Save the planet tariff"? COVID-19 pandemic should force this debate.

As the world battles the pandemic we are presented with an opportunity to rethink and overhaul the planetary model. And that includes how we organize ourselves as a society (not just humans but all our resources), sustainability of the planet and the definition of "the greater good".

The economic surge after WWII led to a new notion of physical boundaries - nationalism, political boundaries - ideologies of capitalism and socialism and ethical boundaries - free markets i.e. greed is good vs. a moral code that guides decisions. In short the new god of the 21st century is money.

Shockingly if there was a measure of power (political, technological, societal) no more than 100 individual determine the fate of 7 billion humans and many billion other living beings. As the wise founding prime minister of India said: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

We see this at the level of crony capitalism, political coteries and dynasties, technology behemoths, religious groupings - the leaders of these groups have taken control. The notion of democracy with equal rights for all citizens is the biggest smokescreen of all time. Even that system, designed to preserve the rights of ordinary people, is rigged for the elites - study the idea of gerrymandering in US, caste based vote banks in India, rigging the constitution to remain in power with legitimacy in Russia to name a few.

COVID-19 showed us how the powerful economies like China, authoritarian leadership in China and US and even neutral institutions like WHO have been promoting propaganda.

If there was freedom of media including social media, 'checks and balance' institutions like healthcare and citizen rights bodies in China the calamity could have been addressed and contained. It was the selfish hiding of facts to preserve the "image" of China,systematic suppression of sane voices including Dr Li Wenliang - the whistleblower on COVID-19, and failure to act soon and with transparency.

If there was no "kitchen cabinet' like system in the White House Jared Kushner would not have a say in delaying the measures that were too little too late in US. If there was a healthcare system in US that was a "public good" and not rigged to benefit pharmaceutical and insurance companies and self-reliant on drugs, medical equipment and supplies. Much of the problem in the global response is also that the supply chains also link back to China!

So to cut short the rant here is what my thoughts are to rewrite the model.

1.The world must fundamentally rethink its dependence on China and world trade

The world must not yield to the propaganda machinery of China as the WHO Dr Tedros did as he met Xi Jinping in China. You have to see the video to cringe at the level of subservience displayed by the chief of a neutral institution.

The world needs to think about "Healthcare Security" in the same way it thinks about border security, energy security and food security. To illustrate most countries have a standing army for border protection and war and on average spend 3-10% of GDP to keep the standing army for an eventuality that may never arise. There hasn't been a border aggression (excluding transnational aggression like US wars in China and Afghanistan) of any major significance in the past 40 year but we maintain an ever growing army. Why isn't the same for health security? It's one of the top 5 risks that could wipe out the planet (others include solar flare, volcanic eruptions, runaway global warming, asteroid collision). There has to be domestic capacity for drugs, labs, medical supplies, trained healthcare professionals and public awareness system that responds quickly and one that works. This means delinking ourselves from the supply chains in China for some of the critical components of Healthcare Security. We cannot outsource our armies and defense equipment and that should apply equally here.

We need to fundamentally rethink the model of globalization and just-in-time inventory. As a start China must be held to account for this catastrophe.

2. Pandemic non-proliferation regime

I know it sounds radical, but just as there is a a nuclear non-proliferation regime and treaty time has come for a pandemic proliferation control. We have a model of inspections, data transparency and strict rules and regulations on fuel processing for nuclear arms control and we need rules for factors that affect spread of pandemics. e.g. farming of animals, segregation and animal to animal and animal to human contact. I know it sounds ridiculous but a start is better that no start.

3. Planet sustainability tariff regime

Pandemic impact, environment impact and exploitation impact (human and resources) should be indexed for countries on a per capita basis and all countries should have a say in imposing these tariffs to protect their own domestic industry, agricultural and service sectors. This will allow local capacity building and a 'distributed economic model' which empowers societies.

4. Global Sustainability Fund

On the lines of International Monetary Fund (IMF) there has to be a crisis fund or 'war chest' to provide lines of credit and funding and a safety net to small businesses and self-employed people who are most vulnerable to such disruptions. This could simply be funded through a tax on wealth (not income) that includes taxing the wealth of individuals, corporations and trusts to restore equity and a 'safety net' for the vulnerable. Even during and after the pandemic the wealthy will have no change in their lifestyle but the most vulnerable sections of society will face a tsunami of destruction affecting billions of lives. This is simply not acceptable.

5. There is nothing special about humans

We are just another species that is having a free run on the planet for say a thousand years. This is maybe equivalent to the movement of a second on the planetary clock. In this short time the destruction we have wreaked is astounding. We need a set of rules that define our behavior and actions as just another species and not demi-gods that we believe ourselves to be. The resources of the world belong to the planet and any system that encourages, and results in, the concentration of wealth, technology, political power must be dismantled quickly. As a start China's domination of supply chains, democratization of technology by breaking up the tech giants, redefinition of human rights and planetary rights, decentralization of resources that affect quality of life, nay life itself. We need a new charter. UN and WTO are dead.