How Changing Lifestyle At All Levels Is Necessary During Pandemic

We humans are very weird, and we tend to keep our eyes diverted from problems till they become really alarming.

For example, in November last year, many reported breathing problems, mostly due to pollution, but our approach to it was nothing more than casual. Now, we are facing another global calamity and are forced to remain in lockdown.

However, be it the stifling pollution of Delhi or the corona epidemic, one thing is clear, the result of messing with nature is going to make us pay.

World Health Organisation released a letter at the end of February, signed by almost 250 environmental organisations. The letter points at a solution to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks. They said a positive solution can be achieved with a massive crackdown on wildlife trade markets worldwide.

This wet market is worth more than a trillion USD, and it probably has a huge role in environmental degradation and imbalance.

It is time for the corporate sector to think ‘beyond carbon’ and to put nature friendly lifestyle and dependencies firmly onto their risk map. Here’s why.

According to a recent research by the Nature magazine - after the world wide corona epidemic, the environment has benefited from the lockdown in many countries, including India and America. There are significant signs of recovery in the earth's ozone layer.

We have also seen how the wildlife has reclaimed its space, and it’s not looking bad for humans either. Who doesn’t want to breathe fresh air!

Once the humanity beats the pandemic, it should initiate big and relevant debates about globalisation and how tracing our ancient roots can make us a better and healthier society.

In India, intellectuals should go ahead and think about India's traditional lifestyle especially vegetarianism. The lifestyle where human and nature can co-exist, and not become each other’s food without the need.

No Country or person can remain unchanged by this universal threat and all of us have to face the encompassing side effects of the environment collectively.

All kinds of pollution is a result of human activities that have been ignored under the guise of development for years. These environment problems have arisen due to unplanned development of cities, resulting in excessive exploitation of nature and imbalance. There are many things and structures we never needed in the first place.

Our history and mythological texts hold the key to a better lifestyle, and it’s high time we go back to them and look for a formula for sustainable development and healthy lifestyle.

(Author Jayram Viplav is an environment conservation activist)