At Home Together: Confronting COVID-19 with Solidarity
This article contains the content from the 3/26/2020 Bioneers Pulse newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter straight to your inbox!
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced us apart physically, but it has also brought our communities together in ways we could never imagine. People around the world are supporting their neighbors, connecting digitally in the search for solutions, and shifting to new perspectives.
In the coming weeks and months, Bioneers will be increasingly covering different aspects of the current pandemic, the root causes, systemic impacts and pathways forward via our brilliant community of leaders. Stay tuned to this newsletter, Bioneers.org and our social media channels for articles, videos and announcements about live content.
Also, from our small Bioneers staff to you, we hope you’re taking care of yourself, your family and loved ones. We hope this newsletter and our content moving forward can provide inspiration, information and connection in this crazy moment. One breath at a time.
What Bioneers Are Saying About COVID-19
For decades, the Bioneers community has been sharing solutions and inspiring movements for a more just world. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has posed a unique challenge: How can we bring people together while keeping them apart?
Following is a collection of what the Bioneers community is saying about COVID-19, featuring leaders in diverse fields, such as climate activist Bill McKibben, ecologist Carl Safina and Dr. Rupa Marya. This is the first edition of our “regular round-up,” and we will continue to share news and information from our community.
COVID-19 is a Wake-Up Call; Don’t Hit Snooze
Ecologist and award-winning author Carl Safina points out the true cause of this pandemic — wildlife markets — and how they represent our broken relationship with the rest of the living world. Safina originally published this piece on Medium.
Community Resilience in Light of the Coronavirus
Carolyn Raffensperger, a lawyer and archaeologist, is the executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. She is best known for her work on the precautionary principle, an essential tool for public health that mandates precautionary action to prevent harm in the face of uncertainty.
In this guest post, Carolyn calls on us to face the coronavirus pandemic by empowering our communities, helping others, and caring for our neighbors during this turbulent time.
A Case of the Pandemic Blues
The following essay was written by author and Bioneers Senior Producer J.P. Harpignies about the COVID-19 pandemic. While calling on the history of past crises and the following trends of elite, corporate profiteering, he reminds us this form of “disaster capitalism” is not inevitable. What happens next is up to us.
More from Bioneers.org:
- As We Spatially Separate, We Must Also Stay Connected | john a. powell, Bioneers board member and director of the Othering and Belonging Institute, wrote this letter to uplift the importance of solidarity in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.
- Facing COVID-19 With Community Instead of Fear | This article, originally published by Yes! Magazine, highlights how the Instagram account Covid19mutualaid has provided an online community to coordinate resources and support people most vulnerable to infection.
- Social Medicine: Restoring Public Health by Changing Society, with Dr. Rupa Marya | In this podcast, medical activist and professor Dr. Rupa Marya weighs societal influences on health and how to address them in modern medicine.
What We’re Tracking:
- From Yes! Magazine: “Why Coronavirus Relief Needs to be Permanent” | We need to mitigate the economic impacts caused by COVID-19, but what will that system look like? New, sustainable examples are already emerging.
- From Bitch Media: “Immunocompromised Teachers Are on the Frontlines of Coronavirus” | COVID-19 is disrupting so much in the world, but life must go on. Those providing essential services, like teachers, are risking their own wellbeing to keep our youngest generations educated and empowered.
- From Grist: “Why Don’t We Treat Climate Change Like an Infectious Disease?” | The COVID-19 outbreak, which threatens the lives of millions across the planet, has been met with a swift response from governments worldwide. The stakes are just as high for the climate crisis, so why aren’t we treating it as such?
- From Mother Jones: “Why Coronavirus Misinformation Is Out of Control” | News about COVID-19 seems to be changing by the hour, and this urgency is pressuring people to contribute what they know…even if it might be wrong. Here’s why this trend is so harmful.
