2020 05 12
作者 Article by: Joanne Loo
在COVID-19籠罩中看保護地球 – Joanne Loo
在過去幾個星期，頭條新聞很多關於COVID-19的數字和它對社區和經濟的影響。較少被高調報道的，是COVID-19對環境的間接影響。在各國政府限制國民出入和商業活動時，大家留在家裏，減少駕車和乘飛機，有些工厰也減少生產量，以至我們用的燃料、釋放的污染物和溫室氣體都減少。雖然資料仍然有限，但多個地區的環境都有好轉的跡象: 在印度旁遮普邦，天空不再灰黑色，人們可以遠眺壯觀的喜馬拉雅山。在意大利威尼斯，由於很少機器船航行，水道清晰得可以見底。多國城市的街道上人跡稀少，反倒看見動物漫步。我們留在家裏，期待著“正常”的重臨，而被人類嚴重污染的地球則難得“小休”一下。
現在，各地逐漸解禁。到我們的生活回復“正常”時，地球又會怎樣呢？
在這個時代，長時期以環保理由要求商店關門、國家邊境關閉是不可持續的。人們需要買東西，要工作來維持生計，要到不同國家做生意和學術交流等。在1960-70年代，著名靈長類動物學家和人類學家珍·古德女爵士（Dame Jane Goodall）在保育黑猩猩時，發現大部份人並不想故意破壞野生動物居住的森林，只是需要採集木材來維持生計。她知道，如果要保護森林，一定要同時讓當地的村民有維生的好辦法。現在，在COVID-19的影響慢慢減少時，我們要做一些重要的決定：怎樣重開商業活動、讓大家生活上班回復“正常”，又同時盡量避免破壞地球呢？
也許我們會想，這麽深奧的問題，讓政府來處理吧。我知道自己完全不配做環保大使，但身爲基督徒，也想嘗試在神所賜這美好的大地上盡力做個好管家。近日在網上學到，個人可以做的事情包括盡量少浪費食物和資源、減少買不需要的東西，以遙距進行會議來減少出行用的燃料等。每人做一點點，集腋成裘，長遠來説是可以有效用的。
在COVID-19籠罩中，很多人願意犧牲小我完成大我，留在家裏以減少病毒的傳播。我們可不可以也犧牲自己的一些方便，來保護神給我們這美好的大地和一切的生物呢？
我想和大家分享光明美麗物歌（普天頌讚537首）的另外一個版本。讓我們記住：萬物都是天父所做，我們要好好愛護。
All Things Bright and Beautiful - John Rutter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShpRCvU_bxM
中文歌詞： http://www.christianstudy.com/data/hymns/text/hymns_of_universal_praise537.html
注：看完紀錄片 “Jane Goodall: The Hope”後，我受啟發寫了這篇文章。我也參考了BBC短片“How has coronavirus helped the environment?”
本文版權： © Joanne Loo 2020
Looking at environmental protection in the mist of the COVID-19 pandemic – Joanne Loo
In the past few weeks, the news headlines contained many numbers related to COVID-19 as well as its impact on the community and economy. What has been reported less is the indirect effect of COVID-19 on the environment. As governments of countries restricted people’s movements and commercial activities, many people stayed at home. We drove less and flew less on airplanes, and some factories decreased production. As a result, the amount of fuel used as well as the pollutants and greenhouse gasses released dropped. Although the data is still limited, the state of the environment have been showing signs of improvement. In Punjab, India, the sky was no longer grey-black, and people could see the majestic Himalayas from far away. In Venice, Italy, due to the reduction in the number of motorboats in operations, the waterways became so clear that their bottoms were visible. In many cities, fewer pedestrians were present, and instead, animals were strolling on the streets. While we stay at home and wait for life to return to “normal”, the Earth, which has been heavily polluted by humans, got a little break.
Now, countries around the world are slowly coming out of lockdowns. When our lives are back to “normal”, what will the Earth be like?
Asking shops and international borders to close for a long period of time for the sake of environment protection is unsustainable in this era. People need to buy things, to work to earn a living, and to travel to different countries for business and academic exchanges. Back in the 1960-70s, Dame Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist, worked on the conservation of chimpanzees. She found that most people did not intentionally damage the forests where animals lived, but they only needed the wood to make a living. She realized, to protect forests, the villagers must be provided with a way to earn a living. Today, as the impact of COVID-19 gradually wanes, we need to make some important decisions: How do we resume commercial activities, let everyone go back to work and return to normal, yet minimize the damage on the planet?
We may think that this is a difficult question, and that we should let the government deal with it. I know I am not worthy of being an environmental ambassador. However, as a Christian, I would like to try to be a good steward on this beautiful land that God gave us. Recently, I learned online that there are many things that individuals can do for the environment: for example, minimize the waste of food and resources, avoid buying things that we don’t need, and have meetings online to decrease the fuel we need for travelling. When each person does a little bit, all the small contributions add up, and we can make an impact in the long run.
In the mist of COVID-19, many people were willing to make personal sacrifices to achieve a greater goal by staying at home to minimizing the spread of the virus. Can we also sacrifice some of our conveniences to protect the wonderful land that God provided and all the living things?
I would like to share a song with you—it contains the same text as Hymn #537 in the Hymns of Universal Praise, but the melody is different. Let us remember: God made all these wonderful things, and we should protect them.
All Things Bright and Beautiful - John Rutter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShpRCvU_bxM
Note: I was inspired to write this article after watching the documentary “Jane Goodall: The Hope”. I also consulted the BBC video “How has coronavirus helped the environment?”
Copyright of the text © Joanne Loo, 2020