Pandemics, pain and prosperity
After two years, it is no wonder that people are fed up with the changes the Covid-19 pandemic has inflicted on us. Time and again, we've seen children out of school, people out of work, and hospitals out of beds and oxygen. These crises seem to be the "new abnormal," one which is by no means easy to adjust to. People are tired and just want things to go back to normal.
A couple of things should be clear by now. First, we are not going to acquire a magical post-Covid life any time soon, if ever. The most likely scenario is that Covid-19 will eventually be restricted to smaller outbreaks or fewer locales, though new variants may continue to cause misery. But it is also inevitable that other infectious diseases will appear and wreak havoc, as they have done in increasing numbers since 1980 due in no small part to the climate crisis and deforestation. Since 1980, we have seen several new diseases: HIV/AIDS, SARS, H1N1 (swine flu), MERS, Ebola, Zika, and of course Covid-19. Meanwhile, cholera, malaria, dengue, polio, and other diseases continue to devastate populations.
Diseases are not the only threat we face. Our global economic system is not as sustainable as we have been led to believe. Since the 1990s, there have been major regional and global economic crashes at least every dozen years. While tens of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, tens of millions more remain entrenched in it. Income inequality is on the rise. Meanwhile, our supposedly sustainable development has caused irreparable damage to our planet and its climate, causing rising temperatures, worsening storms, and devastating floods, droughts, and forest fires which threaten the existence not only of other species, but of humans, too. Inevitably, we are going to face ever-worsening shortages of food and fresh water, which will lead to violence and unrest. Relying on ever-increasing consumption to create economic opportunities has proved an environmental disaster.
Unbelievably, policymakers continue to act as if times are normal and economic growth is a rising tide that will continue to lift boats—not just for billionaires, with their super luxurious yachts (now a booming business), but for everyone. Telling ourselves lies is not good preparation for facing these multifarious and complex problems.
It may seem difficult to find a bright side in the midst of all these terrifying threats, but there is (at least) one. Covid-19 has brought about untold suffering, but it has also shown us the possibility of governments bringing about major changes to face major challenges. When the ozone layer's depletion and the threat that it entailed to humans became clear, governments worked together to ban products that harm the ozone layer. Covid-19 restrictions have been more complicated and political, but enormous changes did happen throughout the world. People started wearing masks. Unpopular and difficult as they were, shutdowns helped slow the spread of disease—and resulted in remarkably clean air in many polluted cities. Scientists rushed to develop not just one, but several effective vaccines. Massive vaccination programmes quickly brought millions of people protection. Through it all, many bickered and complained, and many still continue to spread disinformation and resist any sensible approach to curbing the disease. But many more have complied with the requirements and worked together to save people from illness. We have gained much ground in fighting new diseases, and we can do so with future ones as well—if we work together and remain alert to new dangers.
Meanwhile, changes that were unimaginable before the pandemic have become global in scale. Who even used Zoom before Covid-19? How many people successfully worked or studied remotely? The hours a day gained from not being stuck in traffic has gone towards more productive purposes: time for one's self, studies, hobbies; time for family.
The benefits have not persisted but we did experience a few months of quiet, clean air, and respite from many of the ills of modern life. Perhaps most importantly, we broadened the definition of the possible. Many people are now questioning, if global leaders could respond so strongly to a transmissible disease, then why not to the climate crisis? Perhaps prosperity is less about having more stuff and more about the basics: clean air and water, decent housing, sufficient and safe food, time, and health.
We can't be assured of a return to life before Covid-19, but we could instead achieve something far better.
Debra Efroymson is the executive director of the Institute of Wellbeing, Bangladesh, and author of "Beyond Apologies: Defining and Achieving an Economics of Wellbeing".