Time: How to build a safer world: Fires, pandemic, drought. We need to rethink how we live

By Fareed Zakaria

    Millions of acres have burned across the West Coast this year, an area the size of the state of Massachusetts. Temperatures skyrocketed, the sky turned orange, numerous power outages affected large areas, and cities have had the worst air quality rankings in the world. All of this is happening due to human factors, and these little occurrences will add up to make a big difference in the future.

    In recent years, the number of global disease outbreaks has also been on the rise. SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika, and now COVID-19. In the past, most viruses stayed contained in local areas, but as human development speeds up, so are the viruses. "People are living longer, producing and consuming more, inhabiting larger spaces, consuming more energy, and generating more waste and greenhouse-gas emissions." In 2019, a UN report found that nearly 3/4 of land and the ocean had been altered in some way by human activity. Animals are being driven to extinction as ecosystems collapse, and biodiversity is falling with them.

    Because we are expanding so quickly, humans are living a stone's throw away from wild animals and nature, practically asking to be infected with novel diseases. Billions of animals are slaughtered every year for consumption, despite only making up a small percentage of our calories. Because these livestock are bred for specific traits, gene variation decreases, and a virus can easily infect a massive population with little genetic resistance. Desertification is happening at an alarming rate as well. 57 acres are being turned into desert every minute.

    We cannot stop any of this from happening, but we can help reduce its effects. If world governments cooperate against viruses, we can flatten the curve much more effectively, as we saw with smallpox eradication. Similarly, by enacting laws against carbon emissions, we can inspire research into alternatives and higher awareness as well. We all need to recognize that the world is changing, and giving up some small luxuries can mean a better, safer future.