The ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 has affected the entire world. We are witnessing a catastrophic event of a scale that was unprecedented since the Second World War. We are watching many countries isolate themselves, shutting down their borders and restricting the movement of people. We are watching the economies crumble while the people in charge are powerless to do anything, causing people to lose their jobs and bring the wellbeing of their families into question. We are watching the democracy being put to its test, as some countries are abusing the power they have in the emergency state and making unprecedented decisions, violating rights of people that are the cornerstone of democracy. And lastly, we are watching the effect this whole state has on the mental health of individuals, as people are forced into isolation and deprived of human contact.

Luckily, this situation is not going to be irreversible. Much like with any other pandemic that has happened, things will pass – people are going to recover, vaccines are going to be developed, and things will go back to normal. There will be consequences and a large number of people will fall victims to the virus, but humanity, as a whole, will recover.

I cannot help but consider this situation in the context we have discussed in our class so far. With that perspective, this pandemic can be considered a test of our preparedness. A test of our knowledge, of our cooperation, of our ability to deal with something new. A test which will tell us whether we can, with all technological and scientific developments that we have accumulated over centuries, prevent people from dying and manage a catastrophic event. It is a test we have utterly failed.

This event needs to serve the purpose of making us realize how fragile we are as a species. Climate change will not treat us any more kindly than this pandemic. If we don’t change our attitude towards climate change, we will again watch people die, economies crumble, and the world order as we know it become jeopardized. We will again be forced to watch how, with all our machines, science, and power, our planet unleashes a disaster upon us, with horrible consequences. However, there will exist a crucial difference. Climate change will not be reversible. We will not be able to invent a vaccine for climate change and make it go away. Once we set out on the path of climate change, we are not going to be able to turn back. That is why our attitude needs to change now, at this very instant, because it will be too late once we feel the consequences.

If we cannot deal with an unprecedented pandemic, how are we going to deal with unprecedented natural disasters?