The COVID-19 pandemic has ruined lives in many tragic ways. Here we think of adolescent dreams of gap years gone forever for example. Or the loss of a life partner after many decades. However, COVID created more than just spoiled dreams in the human sense. Because Amy Cheng writing in Washington Post on November 10, 2021 discovered the pandemic created 8 million tons of plastic waste.
Much of That Waste Is Floating in the Ocean
A team of researchers from United States and China announced their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This was the first attempt to quantify greater use of personal protection equipment, and increased use of eCommerce. They say 193 countries contributed to this mess, so therefore there’s little option but to point to ourselves.
Moreover the Chinese and United States teams express concern about the threat to marine life – see link below. Because they believe this ‘intensifies pressure on this already out-of-control problem’. COVID is therefore creating spoiled dreams of a cleaner environment too. As the world’s attention shifted away from greener to virus.
More Spoiled Dreams as the COVID Pandemic Marches On
A joint statement by World Health Organization, and International Labor Organization speaks of a dramatic loss of human life worldwide. Economic and social disruption is massively challenging public health, food systems and work opportunities too.
Tens of millions of people face extreme poverty and food insecurity. Millions of commercial enterprises are bleeding cash flow. Workers in the informal economy are particularly vulnerable, as they lack social protection and decent heath care.
The fragility of the macro food system lies exposed in all its fragility. COVID is creating more than spoiled dreams at individual level. It is setting back progress twenty years. And widening the divide between the fortunate few, and the many helpless humanity.
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