How can we avoid or reduce the number of future devastating pandemics like the Corona, through knowing why they arise? Recently Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, Professor of Conservation Biology was interviewed by our main TV and News Channel, NRK. There, she pointed out that almost all epidemics of recent decades came from animals that had to flee from their natural habitat or areas, because of HUMAN INTERVENTION. This again caused the animals to come closer to the cities, and thus easier to be hunted or catched by people .

The highly recognized scientist in particular reminded us of all the known epidemics that came from live animals that were traded in open markets. That ‘s SARS , MERS, EBOLA , HIV AND CORONA:

SARS came from Bats via Desmercats to humans.

MERS from Bats via Dromedars to humans. .

EBOLA from Bats via Chimpanzeesto humans. ,

HIV from Chimpanzees to Humans.

Then, what about today’s CORONA? Oh yes!!!

CORONA came from Bats via the shell animal Pangolin, sold on the market in Wuhan. (see pictures above)

But Wuhan is thousands of miles from your hometown isn’t it? On the contrary! With todays airtraveling Wuhan is only a few hours from Milan, Italy, Madrid, Spain, Paris, London and New York. Even in the remotest areas of Norway, viruses are only a day’s travel from the live animal markets of Asia!

THE DANGEROUS OBLIVION.

Have we forgotten our dependence on the variety of the species in their natural surroundings? Forgot that there is a balance between us humans, the animals we hunt and eat, and the plants that nourish us. Don’t we even know that the trees breathe with us? Still, we are cutting down the rainforest.

THE CORONA AND OUR VIEW OF NATURE.

Today, nature under global capitalism is perceived as a THING or an OBJECT that we can just use and discard, for our own benefit, without calculating the global risk of this abuse. A long time ago I searched for and wrote about our view of nature through the ages. In very, very short this is what I found:

1. IN PRE-HISTORICAL TIME, HUMAN WAS “AT ONCE” WITH NATURE AND PERCEIVED IT AS EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS MAN WAS. FOLLOWINGLY NATURE WAS TREATED AS A PART OF OUR OWN HUMAN SELF.

2. IN THE ANTIQUE ERA NATURE WAS CONSIDERED AS AN EXAMPLE AND IDEAL.

3. IN THE MIDDLE AGE, THE FORMATIVE ATTITUDE TO NATURE WAS THAT IT REPRESENTED SOMETHING OFF MUCH LESS WORTH THAN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. OUR PHYSICAL BODY WAS ALSO OFTEN LOOKED DOWN UPON. THIS “CONTEMTUS MUNDI” DID ALSO PENETRATE THE VIEW OF THE FEMALE. THUS HER BODY WAS TO A GREAT EXTENT CONSIDERED IMPURE, AS WE CAN TELL FROM THE HIDEOUS PERIOD OF WITCH HUNTING.

4. IN THE RENAISSANCE HUMAN BEINGS WERE CONSIDERED FAR MORE SUPERIOR AND WORTHY RESPECT THAN NAURE. HOWEVER NATURE WAS ALSO CONSIDERED BEAUTIFUL AND IN SOME ASPECTS PERFECT DUE TO IT’S AESTHETIC VALUE.

5. IN THE TIME OF INDUSTRIALISM THE VIEW OF NATURE COMES CLOSER TO OUR MODERN TIMES. NATURE IS THUS CONSIDERED MORE AND MORE AS AN OBJECT OF TRANSFORMATION AND UTILIZATION.

6. IN THE REBELLIOUS 1970 THE NATURE IS AGAIN CONSIDERED AS AN ORGANIC ECOLOGICAL WHOLE THAT WE MUST CONSERVE AND MAKE SUSTAINABLE FOR OUR OWN SURVIVAL.

7. THEN COMES THE 1980 AND 90’IES UP TO YEAR 2000, WHERE OUR RELATIONSHIP TO NATURAL OIL RESERVES ARE COMPARABLE TO TODAY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH UNORGANIZED CHEAP LABOR AND TRAFFICING.

8. TOWARDS THE 2010-2020, WE SEE AN EMERGING UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE AS A COHERENT WHOLE VULNERABLE TO CONTINUED EXPLOITATION. WE HAVE THE KYOTO, RIO, COPENHAGEN AND PARIS AGREEMENTS AND GRETA THUNBERG. AT THE SAME TIME, PARADOXICALLY WE ALSO CONTINUE TO UNDERMINE THE PROTOCOLS AND AGREEMENTS BY PRACTICING ECONOMIC GROWTH POLICY AS USUAL.

9. THE BIG QUESTION NOW IS HOW WE WILL VIEW AND RELATE TO NATURE UNDER AND AFTER THE TIME OF THE CORONA!