Some say the coronavirus is saving our environment, but this idea is simply eco-fascist rhetoric.

Coronavirus: Saving our Environment or Eco-Fascism?
Coronavirus pandemic
MacKenzie Galloway
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MacKenzie Galloway
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New York – The world’s COVID-19 case total has reached over 1,000,000 cases, including over 50,000 fatalities. The novel coronavirus has completely swept our globe. It has caused economic crises, familial devastation, and mental and physical turmoil. 

One somewhat shocking effect of the virus is its impact on nature. Los Angeles, much of Northern Italy, and several regions in China are among many areas where “environmental rejuvenation” has been praised. Some are calling us, humans, the real “virus.” 

 Because of COVID-19, streets and roads are virtually empty. Non-essential businesses are closed in many countries. Factories and industrial buildings, some of the greatest air polluters across the globe, are a part of this mass closure. City dwellers have witnessed something new: Blue skies with decreased air pollution. 

This is a result of the mass quarantine laws that have been instituted around the globe. It is clear that our dear mother Earth is benefitting, but this comes at a cost. Aside from the almost one million illnesses and near 50,000 deaths the novel coronavirus has caused, many insist that the pandemic has a positive side, with the environment showing marginal improvements. 

This idea is eco-fascism. 

Eco-Fascism is described as “a twisted blend of authoritarianism, white supremacy, ethnonationalism, and a misguided concern for the care of planet earth.” It is the revitalization of the earth, at the cost of human lives. 

On planet Earth, we generate 2.01 tons of waste annually, a number which is rapidly rising. A large portion of this waste is produced by major corporations who have not invested in environmentally friendly waste disposal methods, instead dumping tons of waste into our land and bodies of water. Many of these corporations release toxic materials into the air, accounting for a great deal of global air pollution, which causes nine percent of global deaths. 

This brings us back to the misguided idea that humans are the real “virus.” Yes, humans produce a great deal of waste, but most humans individually do not have the access or capability to institute global environmental progress. Humans can vote for leaders in “democratic” countries, but many democracies are flawed, and these leaders are held accountable to corporations. These corporations have the access, the capabilities, and the funds to become more environmentally friendly and actively improve our earth. 

“‘WE’ are not the virus. Most of Earth’s pollution is due to 100 European/North American based companies. The vast majority of people are not in any way responsible for climate change. A virus which is literally killings thousands of people for ‘climate prevention’ sounds like some Nazi final solution talk,” commented Jubilee White, a student at The American University. 

“Instead, what this virus is showing us, is that another world is possible if the world takes radical change to reconfigure our international economy. Maybe we don’t need to produce a whole lot of ‘stuff’ that no one uses, or uses once, because it’s not important,” the student continues. 

White concludes, “If people worked less, consumed less, and had their basic needs met, we could have a healthier, safer planet. A pandemic is never a solution. The virus is capitalism.” 

Capitalism often neglects the needs and concerns of the people. Large corporations control the means of society, rather than the voice of the masses. Capitalism and eco-fascism go hand in hand as they concurrently ignore the general population, and rely on just a few people to institute actions that negatively affect the entire world.  

Yes, COVID-19 may be curing our planet–and doing so incredibly slowly–but corporations could have offered this cure a century ago, without the death of thousands. 

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