Recently there have been a lot of posts online about the ways the environment has benefited since humans have been given the order to stay inside to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

The environmental “wins” being celebrated include air pollution decreasing, animals returning to their natural habitats, and carbon emissions going down.

Yes, these environmental changes are worth noting, but there are some major problems with the messaging used to discuss these “wins”. Many posts are circling around online saying “humans are the virus” or “this is what the earth needed.”

These statements are problematic because they are overgeneralizing and dismissing human life. Positive environmental changes are happening not because humans are the virus, but because we have drastically slowed down capitalism. As a global society we are consuming less, commuting less, and most importantly industrial facilities and factories have has slowed down production.

Grouping humans as the virus is unfair and misguided. When I first started seeing these messages being shared online, this question immediately came to mind; what about indigenous people who care for the land and have always fought to protect the Earth? Indigenous people who have historically practiced mindfulness, balance, and overall have not exploited the earth. According to National Geographic, indigenous people make up less than 5% of the world’s population, but they protect 80% of global biodiverstiy. Indigenous people can not be lumped into the group of humans that are “the virus”.

I also asked myself, what about humans living in isolated areas. Areas far removed from colonialism and capitalism. The tribes that protect their land, identity, and cultural customs. These humans are also not “the virus”. According to Oxfam international, “The richest 10% of people produce half of the world’s carbon emissions, while the poorest half contribute just 10%.” Based on this statement, the majority of people are not to blame…especially not poor or marginalized people.

So if humans aren’t the virus, then what is the virus? The virus is the harmful industrialized system society has adopted. According to The Guardian, “just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions.” Big businesses are destroying the planet in exchange for profit. Deforestation, oil extraction, over production and so many other issues come from our man made systems. The small percentage of humans that are profiting from this wasteful system can be blamed, but don’t lump all humans into this.

The second problematic statement going around is “this is what the earth needed”, which is extremely insensitive. People are dying at alarming rates. Families and friends are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Also, these deaths are disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, making this statement truly disturbing.

The earth did not need hundreds of thousands lives to be lost in order for environmental change to happen. Scientists have been telling us for years what humans need to do to slow down global warming. Scientists knew that slowing down production and reducing emissions would help reverse the climate crises. People did not have to die for this change to happen.

Also, people are facing a financial crises on a global scale. To say we needed this virus is to say we needed people to suffer in order for earth to heal.

Yes, we are seeing major positive changes in terms of the environment. But, now is not the time to celebrate this changes. It is also not the time to make insensitive statements. Let’s take note of the changes that have happened and use that as motivation to slow down global warming. But let’s put blame where blame is due and let’s not pretend that death and suffering was necessary for these environmental “wins” to occur.

Recommended Articles:
1. What the "Humans Are the Virus Meme Gets So Wrong"
2. Why We Shouldn't Celebrate the Environmental Wins by Ethical Hour
3. Humans are not the Virus - Don't be an Eco-Fascist

What do you think about these statements?