As of now, mankind’s exploitative forays into nature’s domains have resulted in the release of harmful pathogens that were hitherto unknown to mankind

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has instilled a new-found respect for the environment among the people of India and the world at large.

As people stay barricaded inside their homes, the value of taking a simple walk in the park, soaking in the sun and the greenery, admiring the flowers and listening to the chirping of the birds, is driven home like never before.

What was taken for granted earlier has become a shockingly difficult task to accomplish. Given the considerable health risk involved in stepping out of the house due to possible exposure to COVID-19, and, of course, the additional risk of inviting the ire of the policemen tasked with the job of keeping citizens indoors during the nationwide lockdown, it is well nigh impossible to enjoy this simple pleasure of life. However, as we ponder over mankind’s behaviour in hindsight (during this enforced break from activities), taking nature and the environment for granted seems nothing short of a sin now.

This respect and value being accorded to nature is new-found, because as recently as the first week of February, all the nations of the world continued to turn a blind eye to environmental well-being. They went on mindlessly exploiting natural resources, guzzling fossil fuel, carelessly disposing plastics and other non-biodegradable waste in landfills, rivers and polluting ground water and even the oceans and mountains.

Even as one nation after another fell prey to COVID-19, other Coronavirus-free countries did not comprehend the danger ahead and people went about their routines unperturbed, powered by greed and consumerism. Now, the Coronavirus has brought almost the entire world to a standstill and our crimes against nature are staring us in the face. In more ways than one, this crisis had been in the making for quite some time. Rising levels of  consumerism paved the way for the environment to be exploited and compromised on a systematic scale for long.

Interestingly, according to a pan-India study commissioned by the Mahindra Group in 2019, Indians are very well aware of the human impact on the environment. The study saw four out of five Indians confirming that they were aware of the consequences of their actions on the environment and climate change. The study further revealed that 83 per cent of the respondents evinced interest in making lifestyle changes towards a more sustainable living, while 70 per cent displayed sufficient awareness of water conservation. However, despite the awareness, the respondents could not elucidate how they were going to take steps to reduce/prevent the negative impact of their lifestyles on the environment. So, all the awareness regarding climate change and the state of the environment is unable to alter human behaviour and ensure that people try to lead a low carbon foot-print lifestyle. For this to happen there needs to be a major change in attitudes, wherein conscious, environment-friendly consumerism replaces the current pattern of consumerism which is self-serving and oblivious to environmental consequences.

As of now, mankind’s exploitative forays into nature’s domains have resulted in the release of harmful pathogens that were hitherto unknown to mankind. The hunt for exotic animals that can be sold for a premium in wet markets has put man in the crosshairs of virulent viruses searching for a host. The Coronavirus pandemic is a result of this form of mindless consumerism.

This cavalier attitude towards nature and abject consumerism have made the world shoot itself in the leg and this has to stop now.

Consumerism that spells doom for humanity has to be urgently replaced by alternativism, where sustainable lifestyles become the norm rather than the exception. Governments across the world must provide sustainable alternatives for humans to adopt so that the livelihoods and lifestyles that result in compromising the environment  are phased out.

This not only means changing one’s buying behaviour by shifting to green products but also means that sufficient efforts must be made to prevent wastage, be it of food, water, electricity or any natural resources. For instance, there is need to ask all the five-star hotels across the world to not throw unused food at the end of a business day and instead give it to the poor. This act alone will feed millions of hungry people and will also lead to saving of trillions of litres of water that is used in growing more food.

According to EcoBusiness, currently 25 per cent of the food that passes through global five-star kitchens is eventually thrown out, this is the hallmark of irresponsible consumerism and it needs to be replaced with a conscious one. Lastly the mindless exploitation of natural resources has to stop. Else, we should prepare for a grim future where overexploitation of food resources leads to depletion, forcing humans to look for other, more unconventional sources of food. Then pandemics like the Coronavirus will become a routine affair.

(The writer is an environmental journalist)