We interviewed Zaida Ortega, biologist and participant in the Homeward Bound project, which is creating an international network of a thousand scientific leaders to work for gender equality and the sustainability of the planet, on the occasion of her visit to the University of Salamanca to participate in the events of the Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11. Little did we imagine that, just a month later, the world would be plunged into a global health crisis unprecedented in the 21st century.
Due to the containment measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, Zaida has not been able to return to Brazil, where she currently works researching behavioral ecology of terrestrial vertebrates, and we have spoken with her again to find out her perception of this emergency. .
“I think that, in times of crisis, the smartest thing is to have a broad perspective that goes to the root of the problems to solve it and prevent those that may come in the near future. The coronavirus crisis is one more manifestation of the great health crisis on the planet, which is the great mother of all the crises we have: climate change, plastic pollution, loss of biodiversity … ”, explains the researcher.
As for the coronavirus pandemic, a study was published recently that showed that the same processes that accelerate the extinction of species also favor the transmission of viruses from animals to humans. ” It has already been shown that new pathogens are appearing faster and faster and 60% of them appear from our relationship with animals, ” Zaida explains in reference to this work. “A third of these appear from the livestock and animals that we consume, and the other two thirds have their origin in wild animals, which are increasingly under pressure through the destruction of their habitats and capture for later commercialization. We have to change our consumption habits and our way of relating to animals ”, he reflects.
Time of crisis, time of opportunity
The forced stop in our usual activity and the uncertainties generated as a result of the expansion of the new virus makes us think about the immediate future: what will the post-COVID-19 era be like?
“It is time to take care of ourselves, and to take care of the planet more than ever, because the great crisis from which the rest of the problems emerge is that of the health of the planet. When we manage to recover from this health emergency, we will have to try to get out of this economic crisis , and there are two ways to do it ”, says Zaida. “We can get out generating more greenhouse gas emissions and more pollution, all this in a decade that they say is the decisive one if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. This exit would lead us to many other new crises: of drought, of massive migrations, of hunger and, of course, of new diseases ”.
The second option, and it is something that is already being demanded from many sectors, would be that “green exit” to reinvent the economy after the health collapse. “One could bet on an economic recovery that promotes renewable energies, sustainable businesses, the recovery of degraded habitats, nature conservation, another way to feed ourselves …”, explains the researcher. “Most experts in the field have already come to the conclusion that this would be the smartest solution to get out of this crisis, avoiding others and being able to prosper without leading humanity to serious suffering that science has already predicted, they are not elucubrations ”.
Before the coronavirus crisis arrived, we already knew that 2020 was a decisive year: “ This is the most important decade with regard to climate change , and as this health crisis and this economic slowdown have overtaken us, we will have the opportunity to reactivate the economy. in a sustainable way. We have the opportunity to decide our future shortly and that is an opportunity that we should seize to take the reins and demand these changes. It is impossible for humans to be healthy on a sick planet. We are one more species, and in order to take care of ourselves we also have to take care of the rest ”.
This interview has been carried out in collaboration with the Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit of the University of Salamanca.
