Restricting the coronavirus infection spreading around the world and greenhouse gases is a crucial, global task that cannot be solved by each, or a single country. The key to tackle the plight lies in worldwide, united efforts to eradicate social disparity and poverty.

NO SOLUTION WILL COME WITHOUT WORLDWIDE EFFORTS

Budget-cuts imposed on medical service sector

The new coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan City, China, which spreads around the world today, threatening peoples immeasurably. The United States, whose president made light of the despair months ago, is recording the biggest figure of contagious cases, counting 766,600. Followed by Italy and Spain, the number of patients has risen to 2.43 million with a death toll over 167,000 as of April 21.

Every country has taken various procedures to stop people’s flow by shutting down the national boundaries to prevent proliferation of the virus, but no good sign is seen yet on an end of contagion.

The coronavirus has disclosed flaws in the social institutions as well as in health services. As for Italy, due to five years of austerity policies enforced on the healthcare sector, in total 758 hospitals and clinics have been closed, bringing a shortage of over 100 thousand of healthcare workers. Thus, the health service system is collapsed.

For the United States, in which the poor are easily removed from joining the medical insurance plans, the number of non-insured people increased, counting 27.50 million in 2018. Healthcare services do not extend to the poor, which tells the real figure is bigger than that of publicly announced.

Urgent need for steps to end global warming

Global warming is another critical issue that surpasses nations’ borders. An agreement on carbon-dioxide, believed to be the dominant cause of warming of the planet, has been reached as the Paris Accord, which was agreed by 196 countries in 2015 in order to reduce gas emissions. The international pledge set forth a mandatory target planning for the gas reduction and agreed on verification of developments.

Last year in December the COP25 (the 25^th Conference on Climate Change sponsored by the United Nations) was held, but it failed in engaging in the fundamental issue, the market mechanism rule, and was postponed to the next meeting, the COP26, scheduled in Glasgow in coming November (but was overdue in 2021 due to the infection).

A root cause on the malfunction lies in discrepancies seen in the scheme how to distribute responsibilities among the developed nations and how they can commit in aid programs for the sake of developing countries.

Main perpetrators – Hunger and poverty

Coronavirus and global warming go freely beyond national borders and they cannot be solved by an each or a single country. Most peoples in South America and the African continent live under extreme poverty and appalling hygiene conditions, which is a hotbed of the virus.

Concerning deforestation, in every two seconds an area equal to a soccer ground is being lost. Without overcoming this crisis, no solution is possible for the coronavirus spread and the global warming.

Under these circumstances the United States withdrew from the Paris Accord and has decided to stop paying contributions to the World Health Organization on the ground of its dissatisfactions in the policies of the UN body.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, propels its thermal power plant programs, turning its back on the world’s efforts. Humanity as well as the planet is unable to survive together with the greedy capitalism, a product manufactured by multi-national corporations.

April 28, 2020