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Reflecting on the wake of the pandemic..
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered countless aspects of the way our human society functions. In the last eight months, nations across the globe have battled economic recession, ravaging food insecurity, job losses for millions and the slow but painful disappearance of social community as we know it. In March of this year, nationwide lockdowns and border closures grinded the cogs of our society to a halt, draping a blanket of quietness over all land, sea and air. For many, this loss of constant stimulation and distraction in daily life has been detrimental to mental stability and sanity, with rates of stress, loneliness, anxiety and depression skyrocketing through the first several months of the pandemic. Social distancing measures have restricted us from our everyday interactions with peers, coworkers and loved ones in the home and workplace, forcing many who rely on that emotional and physical connection in their daily life to support them emotionally to unpack their feelings and face them alone. On the bright side, the pandemic has greatly increased our engagement with the outdoors, health and wellness. Less constraint to daily commutes and work routines has opened the door for exploration of new hobbies and outlooks on life.
Everyone will have their own personal story to tell when asked how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed them or their life. However, we are all facing the same reality in terms of looking towards recovery frameworks for rebuilding in the wake of the pandemic. As the world is waking up, it is up to us to ensure that the way we begin to generate structure in our society once again is sustainable and designed to foster balanced economic and community development, as well as environmental conservation. It simply isn’t good enough for us to remain complacent and go back to the way things were. Economic powerhouses and world leaders have leant on the paradigm of business as usual for many years, abusing the natural resources and sinks of our planet to great lengths even when faced with remarkable amounts of data supporting the dire need for change.
The pandemic has granted us the opportunity to reimagine our communities, the economy and our relationship with nature to co-create a resilient and equitable future for all inhabitants of the planet. A green and just recovery, as some may say! The David Suzuki Foundation has proposed an action plan focused on protecting and restoring nature, acting on the climate crisis and transforming the economy. The manifestation of increasingly green societies will not only efficiently place our priorities in addressing our climate and social crises (notably facing developing nations), but encourage more groups in civil society to advocate for equity and sustainability on local, regional, national and global levels.
We are at a historical turning point. The pandemic is forcing us to pursue systematic recovery that will transform our society and shattered economies, with prioritization of the environmental crisis that will leave us with unbreathable air in less than one hundred years. Understanding this reality may leave you wondering, well, what can I do? Trust me, if you feel depressed and powerless, it’s not your fault. The neoliberalist institutions entrenched in the framework of our society have engrained in us that our consumer decisions and individual choices are the only realistic way we can ‘make a difference’. These ideologies have effectively undermined the power of collective action, not to mention widened the seeping cracks in our current democratic system.
Coming together and uniting our voices in opposition of corrupt political and colonial institutions that work to endorse and prioritize economic growth and GDP, the fossil fuel industry and an unjust disregard for social equity and sustainable resource management. Moving forward, it’s up to us to stand up and advocate loudly for what is right: a green and just societal recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
