When was the last time the majority of the world rallied around the same cause for the purpose of self-preservation? Billions of people have been in lock-down to protect life, to save the most vulnerable from succumbing to this virus. Governments, businesses, citizens, schools, and almost every element of civilization across this planet have become educated as to the risks of this virus and how to best prepare for the prevention of its spread. As of the date of this publication, the danger is still very real. Societies across the world are trying to figure out how to resume business, school, and life outside of the home. Trillions of dollars have been spent to keep economies afloat. At some point, hopefully soon, it will be safe to resume life. Children will return to school. People will play sports again. Employees will return to work. The roar of the economy will be heard once again.
When the world resumes once again, will we put on that old stale playlist, or will we strum to a new tune? Will we take the unprecedented resolve that humans have exhibited in this trial and squander it? Or will we harness this resolve and apply it to major societal problems, such as catastrophic environmental degradation? As we have done with the current health crisis, what if the world's best scientists, economists, health institutions, governments, businesses, civic organizations, and billions of people worked together to solve, once and for all, today's pervasive environmental challenges? This period of time has proven that we don't have to wait for decades to solve these issues. We can transform our economy into one that uses clean and sustainable energy. One that grows its food leaving the soil, air, and water healthier, cleaner, and more productive for the next generation. One where chemicals and materials must meet sustainability and health standards before being released to the world. One where reduction and reuse replace deforestation and Texas-sized garbage islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Today's health crisis has challenged almost every human on this planet. For those of us fortunate to survive this crisis, let us use what we are learning to solve the environmental crisis that can not go away with herd immunity or a vaccine. It will take nothing less than the collective resolve of every government, business, school, organization, and citizen, spanning all continents. It will take the desperate resolve and fear that we have learned over the past 3 months. We must apply it to desperately needing to solve the world's major environmental problems with interdisciplinary cooperation. It is my hope that in 10 years we look back at 2020 and see this year as the birth of a modern environmental movement when we mustered the collective will to solve the planet's environmental problems, once and for all.
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