Features
Is nature punishing us with corona?
By Prof. O. A. Ileperuma, Emeritus
Professor, University of Peradeniya
‘Mother nature has sent us to our rooms, like the spoilt children we are. She gave us time and she gave us warnings. She was patient with us. She gave us fire and floods, she tried to warn us but, in the end, she took back control’ (Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York – March 2020)
Humans have existed on earth for over 300,000 years. History of human civilisations on earth shows the gradual transition from hunter gatherers during stone ages to agricultural civilisations. Stone age represents an era where man lived more like an animal but certain physical features such as erect posture, larger brain size relative to body size and the separation of the thumb from the rest of the fingers helped man to perform better compared to other animals. More importantly, man has ‘aptitude for culture’ which means that the knowledge gathered in one generation can be passed on to the next owing to the ability to communicate in a language combined with the ability to draw pictures in the caves where they lived using firewood charcoal.
The next phase of human development is the gradual shift to agricultural civilisations due to the superior brain of humans. He would have observed that smaller plants and animals in the forest grow into bigger plants and animals and decided to grow the plants and rear the animals near their rudimentary shelters. Cultivation of cereal crops began and this is the first time man came into conflict with nature by oversimplifying the mature biological systems. As a result of intensive agriculture, ancient Mesopotamian civilisation perished due to excessive salinity in their fields irrigated by directly damming rivers like Euphrates and Tigris. The population too continued to increase due to the abundance of food.
The third phase of human development is the advent of the science and technology era from the 1800s and due to advances in science, world population continued to increase. Important discoveries such as the Haber process to convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, discovery of antibiotics and chemical pesticides like DDT have all contributed to increased population. It took over one million years for the human population to reach the one billion mark at the beginning of the industrial revolution around the year 1800. However, the second billion was added after 127 years in 1927 and the third billion after 33 years in 1960. The fourth billion was added to earth in 1974 in just 14 years and the fifth billion mark was reached after 13 years in 1987.
World population currently stands at 7.8 billion and expected to rise to 9 billion by 2030. Some scientists believe that the carrying capacity for humans on earth is only 3.5 billion! People have to depend on the finite resources of the earth for their survival. On the average, around 350,000 humans are added to our planet daily while only 150,000 people die. Therefore, the world population increases by about 200,000 people in a single day and these people have to be housed, fed and clothed. All these put a tremendous pressure on the finite resources of the earth and when this becomes unbearable to Mother Nature, she finds a way to punish us.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic is a clear case of nature punishing us for exceeding the carrying capacity of this planet by artificially controlling nature. Nature has a way of punishing humans when they breach the delicate balances provided for the survival of all species including both plants and animals inhabiting the earth. When people clear forest lands, landslides occur with the devastation of human lives and property. A more serious consequence of human activities is global warming which is a major threat for the survival of the human race. Flash floods, cyclones and even tsunamis are all due to global warming. Climatic changes with excessive rainfall and long periods of drought seriously affect agricultural productivity.
In the present COVID-19 crisis too, global warming may have a role since viruses multiply faster at a higher temperature and there is a real danger of generating more virulent strains. During the last decade, we have witnessed major pandemics such as Ebola and SARS which are now under control. The deadlier Coronavirus appears to linger for a longer period compared to other viruses of the recent past.
Nature is sending a powerful message with the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing climatic change crisis. Imposing too much pressure on the natural environment will result in disastrous consequences. Earth has existed without us humans for a very long time and it does not need humans for its survival while we need a healthier earth for our own survival. It simply means that if we cannot take good care of nature, we cannot take care of ourselves.
COVID-19 is generally believed to have originated in the Wuhan province of China from bats used in markets selling live animals to satisfy the culinary desires of people. These viruses which exist in the wild are controlled by natural processes but human greed for bush meat exploring exotic animals has resulted in the uncontrollable growth of such viruses in the human body. Scientists say that global warming and population explosion has resulted in the destruction of forests for farming and housing and has driven wildlife into close contact with people. A classic case is the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka where people have encroached on the already depleted forest cover. At the time of Independence the forest cover of Sri Lanka was 44 percent while it is 16.5 percent today and 26,800 hectares of forest are cleared every year. Hence a long-term goal of the world to control future pandemics like COVID-19 would be to control destruction of natural habitats and preserve biodiversity. In a single day the world loses around 1,000 species of both plants and animals.
Scientists estimate that 75 percent of all emerging infectious diseases come from wildlife. For example, Ebola, bird flu, SARS and Zika viruses have all crossed from animals to humans. According to Prof. Andrew Cunningham of the London Zoological Society, a research study in 2007 on the SARS virus concluded that the large reservoir of sars-cov like viruses in horseshoe bats together with the consumption of exotic mammals in southern China is a time bomb. China has now banned the sale of live animals in open markets. Similar markets exist in other parts of South-East Asia and the World Health Organization should immediately investigate such open markets. More research is urgently needed to investigate the occurrence of viruses in wild animals and their transmission to humans. These viruses do not affect the wild animals harbouring them because they have developed immunity mechanisms through long years of evolution and hence it is important to study how such animals have natural immunity to fight such viruses.
The COVID-19 crisis may provide an opportunity to change our current attitudes about respecting nature. Also, it is important to understand that health and environmental policies are intimately connected. Our health clearly depends on the climatic changes brought about by global warming and also on the other organisms we share our planet with. Individual governments and world bodies such as the UN have an urgent responsibility to save the natural habitat and take meaningful action to save the human race from falling again to pandemics such as COVID-19.
Millions of people are gathering in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state to participate in the Mahakumbh Mela, the world’s largest gathering of humanity.
Devout Hindus from all parts of the world have arrived here and will continue to do so over the course of six weeks to take a holy dip at Sangam – the confluence of India’s most sacred Ganges river with the Yamuna river and the mythical Saraswati.
Hindus believe taking a dip in the sacred waters cleanses people of sins.
Authorities have set up a sprawling tent city spread across 4,000 hectares of open land along the banks of the rivers to accommodate the visitors, who are arriving at the grounds in colourful large processions, singing and dancing along the way.
Photojournalist Ankit Srinivas brings you some sights from the festival:
[BBC]
by Jehan Perera
The government has two sets of problems coming from the past, one external to it and the other internal, but both interconnected. The external problems include the vulnerable state of the economy which is on the mend by any objective standard. But the government is liable to face growing public disenchantment unless the benefits of development are more widely distributed. However, the last government’s negotiations with international creditors and the agreement with the IMF leave little room for the new government to manoeuvre. The reduction in the debt that was negotiated was around 20 percent overall, which is significantly less than obtained historically from similarly positioned countries. In 2020, Argentina restructured $65 billion in foreign bonds, securing a 50 percent reduction in debt payments over the next decade.
The second set of problems that are internal to the government comes from the fact that those in positions of political authority are mostly new to governance. It will take time for them to become accustomed to the complexities of decision making in complex situations as in Sri Lanka. Due to the self-interestedness and corrupt practices of those who previously held those same positions, the country reached the lowest point three years ago, which resulted in the landslide swing to those entirely new to wielding governmental power.
The problem for the new government is that it needs to face the challenge of rebooting the economy with a team that is new to governance. The unfortunate reality is that the corruption and priority given to parochial interests by the governmental decision makers of the past was accompanied by support and similar compromises by those in the state administration. This has meant that the new government leaders have felt it necessary to appoint a set of new administrators to be in charge of the government machinery. Some of them may take longer than others to learn on the job, with the result that the government machinery is not working as effectively as it could in the short term.
CLEAN LANKA
The problems that recently accompanied the Presidential Task Force for a Clean Sri Lanka and received adverse publicity may be attributed to taking on a mechanism that had its origins in an earlier initiative to deal primarily with environment related problems. According to this model the public sector is the “government or governmental institutions that provide policy directions, regulations and public services”. They are to work in partnership with the private sector which is “Business and private organisations that bring in resources, expertise and technology. They also contribute to the funding, innovation and efficiency of the partnership”. This model gave emphasis to public-private partnerships in which civil society would be the target to be “directly impacted by the partnership outcomes”.
The early initiatives of the Clean Lanka task force did not have the positive impact that was envisaged as it was non-consultative and attempted to enforce its views of the public-private partnership on target groups who felt victimised by the decisions made. The owners and drivers of private buses and trishaws who were the first targets have protested the decisions made. The environmental pollution and dangers to traffic that they were judged to be responsible for, was to them the outcome of their efforts to beautify and upgrade their modes of livelihood and which they had invested money in. The government has now agreed to a compromise where the proposed reforms have been given a time frame of three months to be implemented.
One of the initiatives of the government to deal constructively with this issue post-facto has been to invite civil society organisations to discuss the concept of the Clean Lanka task force and obtain their feedback. The government’s NGO Secretariat acted as the intermediary, inviting a select group of civil society organisations to a dialogue with the task force. This was a positive development as civil society groups have not been invited to participate in many of the government’s new initiatives. This has created an impression that the new government has been marginalising them and relying instead on the government machinery and private sector. This negative impression has been strengthened by the sudden emergence of a set of government regulations that would erode their independence.
MODIFY INTERVENTIONS
Civil society organisations are part of the system of democratic governance, particularly in filling gaps left by the public and private sectors such as in the case of marginalised groups, be they ethnic or religious minority groups, women and those from the LGBTIQ community. They also act as part of the system of checks and balances through the monitoring of abuse of power and human rights violations. The space for CSO/NGOs is constantly under threat worldwide. Their actions are often not appreciated by those in power who find civic groups to be inconvenient and troublesome to them.
CSOs in Sri Lanka have faced multiple attempts to restrict their independence for a variety of reasons. During the period of the war, some of them were accused of supporting the LTTE or undermining the government’s war effort. During the immediate post-war period they were accused of trying to revive the spirit of rebellion in the Tamil people and making the government vulnerable to international sanctions by supporting human rights initiatives. At the present time, there are claims that NGOs pose a threat to international law by engaging in criminal money laundering. A new set of NGO regulations have suddenly emerged to subject them to government control.
Discussions with government leaders, however, presents a more nuanced picture of reality. The government position on CSOs has not been formally conveyed but it is reported that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has expressed his desire for an NGO-friendly government position. These positive sentiments and intentions will take some time to manifest themselves as the new government leaders and administrators become more familiar with the issues and apply their values and principles to administer the country. In the meantime, interventions coming from the past may need to be altered and modified like the directions of the task force on a clean Sri Lanka to fit in with the values and principles of the new government.
Of late, we have had some internationally known acts, of a few decades ago, do their thing in Colombo. The most recent were the Gypsy Kings.
Wonder if the present generation, or, let’s say, teeny-boppers, have heard of the Backstreet Boys!
In the good ole days, in the ’90s, they were considered one of the most successful boy bands in history, and had a huge following in Sri Lanka, as well.
Formed in 1993, the band members were AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell.
The girls here went gaga over Nick Carter and, I believe, he still has a huge following in our scene.
Well, the good news is that although the Backstreet Boys are no more, as a group, Nick Carter is still on the move and is scheduled to perform, right here, in Sri Lanka, in March.
Ed Sheeran: In action, in Abu Dhabi, on 26th April, 2025
The date mentioned is 23rd March, 2025, and the venue Waters Edge, Battraramulla.
His ‘Who I Am Tour’ will see him do concerts in several countries, including the UAE, India, Thailand, Qatar, Malaysia, China, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Some of the concerts Nick did last year received excellent reviews, and this is what fans, who had the privilege of seeing him in action, had to say:
* I attended this show, with a VIP upgrade, and it was amazing! Nick was so kind and sweet. The VIP allowed me to attend sound check and then a Q & A. After that, VIP holders got to meet and take a picture with him. Once the show started, the screams were deafening! Nick was amazing and absolutely rocked the entire show! The entire experience was very memorable!
* The energy Nick brings on his shows is amazing! He really loves his fans and has a super line up of songs. The different costume changes are also superb. Nick was unwell that day but he performed and put out a fabulous show! Great energy all around!
Nick Carter: ‘Who Am I Tour’ concert on 23rd March
* Nick’s concert was amazing! I was literally singing and dancing with all the music he played the whole time! His voice is so good! I could listen to him all day long! So talented. I have been a fan since ’99 and it took me 25 years to finally meet him! He was so nice and caring to his fans. He treats everyone like his friends and family. I wish Nick to have an amazing long, long career! He deserves everything! I love you always and forever, Nick! See you on your next tour!
The Backstreet Boys hits include ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,’ ‘I Want It That Way,’ ‘As Long As You Love Me,’ ‘Quit Playing Games With My Heart,’ ‘Larger Than Life,’ and ‘Get Down.’
Yes, there were plans to host an Ed Sheeran concert, in Colombo, in January, this year, but nothing materialized.
However, Sri Lankans are being given an opportunity to see Ed Sheeran, of ‘Perfect’ fame, in action, in Abu Dhabi, on 26th April, 2025.
The only worry, at this point in time, I would say, is the HMPV virus which is reported to be spreading in China and has cropped up in Malaysia, and India, as well.
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