Our clear and present responsibility

Waorani leader Nemonte Nenquimo shows evidence of crude oil contamination in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. Photograph: Mitch Anderson / Amazon Frontlines

“It is the early morning in the Amazon, just before first light: a time that is meant for us to share our dreams, our most potent thoughts. And so I say to all of you: the Earth does not expect you to save her, she expects you to respect her. And we, as Indigenous peoples, expect the same.” -Nemonte Nenquimo, cofounder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit organization Ceibo Alliance

Sometimes we want to think the Coronaviris and the pandemic to which it gave rise was just some statistical anomaly and once scientists create a vaccine all will return to normal. But that’s unlikely. It’s much more likely the novel Coronavirus arose not as an anomaly but rather as a result of the way 7.8 billion human beings live and interact with each other. We’ve taken this situation to the absurd arguing about social distancing, wearing a mask and washing our hands. Sir David Attenborough’s assessment is more likely what we should expect.

“An estimated 1.7 million viruses of potential threat to humans hide within populations of mammals and birds. We are only just beginning to understand that there is an association between the rise of emergent viruses and the planet’s demise…The more we continue fracturing the wild with deforestation, the expansion of farm land and the activities of the illegal wildlife trade the more likely it is that another pandemic will arise.” — Sir David…