David Levy – Christmas 2020 – Dec 20
Taken from what I have been told, the previous fastest delivery of a vaccine took four years from need to delivery. Please advise me if that is inaccurate. What is clear is that with the necessary will, the scientific expertise, government backing and a fair wind that previous record has been broken. A vaccine for COVID19 has been delivered, and several options to it are in the immediate pipeline.
This has demonstrated that collective will can turn the corner on any problem.
So one has to ask why environmental problems continue to resurface with regularity and fail with regularity; it seems because a lack of will to find a remedy.
Yesterday I was reading about subsidies for global fishing fleets and what WTO had to say about the issue. Once again the words sound fine, but without addressing the issue of enforcement I am reminded of crazy paving. A design destined for failure. Too many cracks for the devious to manoeuvre through, and they will.
Until the Nations of the world submit their actions to a Global Body which has the power to enforce agreed standards of operation, catch and fleet size, then the oceans of the planet will remain a resource basket for feeding the populations of each nation — and that is untenable. Already many fish species have reached extinction levels in parts of the world which, in turn, has meant that the voracious fishing fleets move ever onwards to find a new species to catch. Collapse is inevitable.
Meanwhile decades are wasted in committees, spent talking about a shrinking resource whilst avoiding the real need to agree on solutions, and then to action them. The solution is not happening because we each think as a nation, and not as members of a planet which have to share wealth and resources fairly.
For me, that may well mean not living a lifestyle of such wealth. As a child, we had far less choice but I do not see that life was less rewarding. It may seem crazy to you, but I remember having chicken for the first time at Christmas. Yes, it became a once in blue moon event. We as a nation are currently spoilt for choice and we need to re-evaluate everything.
Are we prepared to submit our will for the greater good?
I do not believe so, and therefore with 2021 approaching I expect to be subjected to more of the same. Wasted words and effort.
David Levy
