#Covid-19: A message and a chance given by Mother Nature?

First of all, my thoughts and prayers for the 45 000 people who died from Covid-19 and their relatives. Then, beyond the despair and chaos, a question. What can we learn from this crisis? Are we in capacity to understand and integrate the wider message given here by Mother Nature?

To me, the origin of the virus, a wild animals food market in China already tells a lot. China is famous for representing 60 to 80 % of illegal wild animal poaching trade in the World. Chinese men hoping for more virility are eating Rhino horns or tiger teeth powder,.. We’ve already annihilated more than 40% of the World’s wildlife in the past 50 years. Not only because of Chinese men only of course, but from our common giant human greed and footprint on Ecosystems.

The solution tells a lot too. Chloroquine is apparently in capacity to treat covid-19 patients. Chloroquine is derived originally from a tree, the “Cinchona Officinalis”, originating from Peru (it even appears on the Peruvian National flag,..), from which we can extract quinine..

So is the message from Nature “stop destroying and eating wild animals and plant more trees to heal Human kind?”

Beyond that, I feel that this crisis is an amazing opportunity sent by Mother Nature to train us on a post-climate crisis scenario. We know already if we continue business as usual, life on Earth won’t be possible for most people, in priority the poorest ones, because of climate change. The virus puts us in a similar situation where we can’t travel and have to adjust our life and work to a totally new setting. Who are the hardest hit? The poorest population of course. But not only, the less sustainable and resilient ones like the Northern Americans, rushing for guns, while others run for toilet paper,,, Are we resilient enough? Are we climate-ready?

What shall be our reaction then? Scared and blaming others or staying calm, thanking Nature and starting a new collective journey towards resilience and sustainability? Are we cursed or are we blessed? Beyond all, are we scared to die or are we ready to accept the laws of Nature: interdependence, cooperation and impermanence?

In an Ecosystem, when a specie becomes dominant, it has to go down to a balance within its ecosystem. It can’t survive on a disbalance with other species. This is the law of Nature. Humans and their domesticated animals now represent a vast majority of living beings on Earth at the detriment of all other species, animals and plants. Hence, it is normal and healthy for our Ecosystem that Human gets affected by viruses and plagues. We must balance our relation with our own Ecosystem or we won’t be. We are Nature.

Exactly like with conventional mono specie agriculture, when you plant only one clone of corn or rice over thousands of hectares, you are much more prone to viruses and diseases, pests’ attacks, and when you’re hit, the damages are much larger than if you have a sustainable diversified agroforestry farm, much more diversified and resilient. The virus attack is there to show us that we are not resilient. We then fight the virus by artificially confining people, but what will happen when we reopen? The German and Swedish strategies in the later seem to me better adapted to Nature’s way of working. I totally get we had to go for confinement to reduce the hospitals burden, but beyond that, our priority shall be to reopen and find immunity naturally against the virus.

So, what can we learn from this virus? That we shall prepare to be much more resilient for the coming climate crisis? For the climate crisis, there won’t be any vaccine anyway and the damages will be much larger and more irreversible than with the covid, we’re talking about the impossibility to cultivate our own food in most places we live today, by 2050 or sooner.

Before even talking about resilience, are we ready to take this warning as a blessing and an opportunity to really start the shift towards a really sustainable climate-friendly society?Shall we not keep all or at least most planes, cars and train in their garage after the virus is gone, and start reforming the way we work and live? Shall we not keep a sense of responsibility to move less, only when necessary, and get back to local and circular economy? Is it time to go back to a more traditional way of living, with our families first, the ones we love? Can the virus be the starting point of a new society where we will live more harmoniously? Life under covid has all the characteristics described by the IPCC scenario on a post-climate crisis. Will we take up the challenge or burry our head in the sand?

To me this virus, beyond the deaths and despair, is an amazing opportunity for us all to start engaging for a new life and new future for Human kind.

No more animal consumption, wild or domesticated, a #plantbased diet for everybody, more healthy for us and all living beings,, That would already reduce deforestation by 70 %! (70 % of cultivated lands are for animal feeding) and climate change contribution by 10 to 15 %.. Less transport, - 18 % potential,.. Focusing on developing our local economy, short and direct supply chains, -10%..  More than anything, consuming less and finding happiness in simple things like observing Nature. Having less and being more..

To me this virus serves as a resilient test and questions us about the future we want. What kind of future do we want for our kids? A future liberated from the Climate crisis constraint, or a future that will look like a massive and unresolvable Covid crisis? We have all solutions on hand, why not engaging now, now that we are given a small bootcamp to experience what a post climate crisis could be. Choice is ours, the chance is here, let’s take it, now! Your kids will thank us.