Page 112 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

2. Increased demand for food. The rise our ability to save the planet as vital The use of technology
in global population and thus growing agreements like the Paris accord
demand for food has many negative have lost their impetus at the behest to manage movement of
impacts on the environment, including of perceived domestic demands. The people using IoT, image
over-farming, consumption of energy, deteriorating political climate has had recognition and AI can be
use of chemicals, etc. Our actions have an equally detrimental effect on our
significant ramifications in terms of ability to influence and control the critical to help beat the virus
biodiversity and natural habitats, driving coronavirus. The situation is evident on spreading. Understanding
animals closer and closer to humans, many levels, and between all countries,
ultimately exacerbating the possibility who are looking out for their own the importance of
for so-called zoonotic diseases. The interests, while global organizations technology and data is
most widely accepted theory about the fighting on everyone's behalf, are being
origins of the pandemic is that the virus actively impaired. equally important for the
spread from animals to people through Thus, on a number of significant global sustainability agenda. On a
a large food market in China. These issues, the need for a robust sustainability global scale, complexities
markets are very popular, but critically agenda is closely linked to the situation
serve as an area for transmission of that has caused and exacerbated the in interrelationships of all
sickness from animals to humans. global corona crisis. physical aspects of our

The crisis has led to On top of that, the coronavirus has had globe, cannot be controlled
an increase in remote several direct negative and positive effects and impacted, let alone
on the sustainability agenda, which I will
communication and outline below. understood, if we are not
healthcare. Post corona, Negative effects: Fewer resources and adept at gathering and
this acquired experience good deeds using data.

could make education and
healthcare more accessible Fewer resources: The heightened attention Less recycling: Many municipalities
and cities have stopped waste recycling
on health care and the economy has
to those who are poor, less led to a de-prioritization of resources - programs and sorting due to the risk of
well off, or just difficult to medical, production, financial, etc. – that spreading the virus.
would otherwise have been used do drive
reach. sustainability. Short cuts to growth: Because companies
are desperate to get back on track
3. Constant drive for growth and profit. More non-recyclable products: Due financially, they will choose the most
The global economic situation today to the contagious nature of the virus, profitable, but less sustainable options.
is dominated by a war on costs and consumption of single-use plastics and The same effect was seen after the
an all-consuming drive for increased non-recyclable products has shot through financial crisis in 2008.
profits by the business community. This the roof,
incessant drive for wealth and growth is
a massive strain on the environment and
the fight for equality. Unfortunately, this
reality also supports the virus, which
has thrived in a globally connected and
growth-fixated world. Large industrial
cities like Wuhan, where the virus is
believed to originate, are the engines for
the industrialized and globalized world
and have also become hot spots for the
global spread of the virus.
4. Destabilized global politics. Lately, we
have witnessed a destabilization on
the global political scene, increased
levels of tension, and less international
cooperation, often as a result of
conservative leadership in some of
the world's largest countries. This
development has dramatically impaired

112 SEP-OCT 2020