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Abstract

, that stage has passed. That’s history! No more!</p><p id="e3dc">I mean really understand. Understand the connectivity. Combine groups of medical researchers with ecologists and find the connections. Connect them with communities and entrepreneurs who will apply this new-found knowledge to our societies.</p><p id="a726">Let’s create applied sciences for the good of all species. Protecting humans in a way that’s respecting the vital (and humble) role we have within the ecosystems.</p><h2 id="bc5c">Environment</h2><p id="0277">This virus is not some sort of circumstance outside of ourselves. We have unleashed this monster by our own actions.</p><p id="a9cc">Some might see it as a revenge of God or Nature. I don’t see it that way. I’m far too grounded, too practical for that. I just see it as cause and effect.</p><p id="ea95" type="7">I don’t see it as revenge. I just see it as cause and effect.</p><p id="0754">We, humans, have thought ourselves in control. We have played God, but we haven’t been doing that very well. Nature is too complicated to understand with our rational, reductionistic brain. So we make mistakes. Big mistakes.</p><p id="c948">And the biggest mistake of all is that we don’t abide by the laws of nature. We don’t even really know what these laws are. They are vast! And we’ll never understand them properly if we’re not in touch with our inner wisdom.</p><p id="0e87">Natural laws are combining tangible material stuff with unseen creatures and energies. And with our rational sciences, we only touch the surface of knowledge…</p><p id="3f75"><a href="https://www.joannamacy.net/main">Joanna Macy</a> is a wise woman who understands this more than most. She said this in a podcast recorded by <a href="https://treesisters.org/">Tree Sisters</a>.</p><p id="79b3" type="7">“Two great rivers have been separated for five centuries. The river of spirituality and the river of science. This separation has made us crazy. It has thrown us into fake and false control of each other. In this century these rivers are merging. And as they do, the biggest news is reaching us: our earth is alive!” — Joanna Macy in Grief, Grit, and Grace.</p><p id="17c3">Ever since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum">René Descartes</a> said ‘Cogito, ergo sum’, translated as ‘I think, therefore I am’, we are only studying in reductionist ways. Not realizing the consequences of all connections. Please, scientists, universities, start <a href="https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/systems-view-life-unifying-vision">studying systemically</a>.</p><p id="ce06">See the connections and learn. Unleash your inner wisdom and learn fast now!</p><h2 id="debd">What can we do?</h2><p id="7d20">Well, I get back to what I’m saying in my other articles as well. My motto is:</p><p id="04ea" type="7">“Let’s restore ecosystems and learn as a human species how to live together within the planetary boundaries.”</p><p id="1bfb">I really hope that politicians see that what they thought was impossible has now happened. Right-wing and left-wing politicians have both said that quantitative economic growth is the only way. Well, it isn’t.</p><div id="2911" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/environment-does-the-coronavirus-trigger-new-economic-ways-with-less-pollution-19642e9fbeb5"> <div> <div> <h2>Does the Coronavirus Trigger New Economic Ways With Less Pollution?</h2> <div><h3>NASA satellite footage shows an astonishing drop in Chinese pollution</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*jEZvOYKvT06bhDBP7lBtUQ.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="6f1d">We are suddenly creating less pollution. Agreed, it’s ruining our lives as we knew it. But is that the fault of the coronavirus? Or is life as we knew it just not feasible anymore?</p><p id="7421">This will not go away.</p><p id="72f8">We cannot go on with ‘business as usual’ when the dust settles. Our economy is collapsing now, so we should be working on a new economic model. We need ‘business as unusual’.</p><p id="2ec4">It might be time for:</p><ul><li>‘Economies of scope’ instead of ‘economies of scale’. If you don’t know what that means, you might like to read this</li></ul><div id="c575" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/business-models-from-linear-to-circular-to-regenerative-9f10c19f337"> <div> <div> <h2>Business Models: from Linear to Circular to Regenerative</h2> <div><h3>How can we create regenerative business models? How can business models benefit from synergy and create abundance for…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Cn2C62fhDmjAnqwwMVWfiQ.png)"></div> </div>

Options

     </div>
      </a>
    </div><ul><li>Local, regenerative economies that make money very active in a local setting and create wealth for our communities (including all other species than humans) this way</li><li>Making products with local, abundantly available materials, such as mycelium, thistles, nettles, industrial hemp, bamboo, kelp, etc.</li><li>Innovating our products so that they don’t need loads of energy and we don’t need so many windmills and solar panels to fulfill the need for fuel. <a href="https://biomimicry.org/">Biomimicry</a> will give loads of inspiration here</li><li>In short: we need nature-based solutions!</li></ul><p id="a705">In governments, we can discuss:</p><ul><li>A <a href="https://thecorrespondent.com/utopia-for-realists">universal basic income</a>. So people will have money to spend on basic needs</li><li>Laws curbing unlimited greed, land speculation, and exploitation of natural resources</li><li><a href="https://trueprice.org/">True pricing</a>, so the negative effects of businesses cannot be thrown over the wall into society anymore</li><li>Taxes on raw materials instead of labor. This would create many jobs, give people the money to fulfill their basic needs, and prevent waste and unnecessary exploitation of natural resources</li></ul><p id="af77">We are part of nature. Let’s act upon that fact and re-invent our societies. And stop yelling at me. Stop saying: “My government does nothing. I am powerless!”</p><p id="3d9f" type="7">And stop yelling at me. Stop saying: “My government does nothing. I am powerless!”</p><p id="99fc">Nobody is powerless! We have the power of a chain. We can be weak or we can be strong. We can be a domino stone unleashing the positive change. We can do better! All of us!</p><p id="a4d2">We are all consumers. As of today, we can spend our money where our hearts are. We can make our lives simple. We can limit our spending to basic needs. Stop ego-shopping. Unleash the abundance of nature with our methods and share it with all species.</p><p id="5ac0">We can work on our inner peace, so we can act out of love instead of fear. And have compassion for refugees. Have compassion for all our sisters and brothers. We are all on the same path, doing our best to cope…</p><p id="6dc3">And we can learn how to live with insecurity. Life is taking risks. Life is standing up and speaking our truths. Life is marvelous and dangerous, and special, and exciting.</p><p id="ab55"><b>Let’s live life to the full! Happy living!</b></p><p id="c5c1">If you want to connect, you can find me on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireedriesenaar/">LinkedIn</a> or somewhere in Nature, experiencing her vast intelligence…</p><p id="a02e"><i>Thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my words on zoonoses. We get scared too. But we try to cope and do better. And we try to inspire others to do the same…</i></p><h2 id="fe77">Further reading</h2><p id="a82e"><i>About the author</i></p><div id="4fd5" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/nature-me-and-others-fddd71910718">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Nature, Me, and Others</h2>
            <div><h3>Here’s my story, especially for Illumination readers, editors, and writers and the rest of my audience…</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*xM4d3Ngh-wmBuj2j6BZXvA.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="c90d"><i>About materials. Designers, please help us!</i></p><div id="51df" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/unusual-yucky-materials-can-prevent-waste-forever-261466974083">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Unusual, Yucky Materials Can Prevent Waste Forever</h2>
            <div><h3>The soil can be end-user of our products — with unlimited potential for designers</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*8XQSv2F3ZIkhRy-mEYlfnw.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="052e"><i>About ecosystem restoration. It can be done large scale, so let’s get on with it!</i></p><div id="fe34" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-ecosystem-restoration-comes-first-in-the-new-business-models-e41a65be294e">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Why Ecosystem Restoration Comes First in the New Business Models</h2>
            <div><h3>We need abundant resources, resources, resources…</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*_PhZo4kWUt672pV1Umfpbw.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div></article></body>

Environment & Society

Note to the World: Viruses Are Normal Now. Let’s Deal With It

We have to live with what we unleashed…

David Quammen: “All of our logging, burning, and road-building shakes loose new viruses from their reservoir hosts. Giving them the opportunity to infect humans instead.” — Photo by Phoenix Han on Unsplash

My attention was triggered by this TEDx talk. Watch it first. Then we’ll talk…

This TEDx talk, by the researcher and National Geographic writer David Quammen, was recorded in 2013. Far before the coronavirus outbreak. And it gives us some very interesting, and scary, and true facts.

He gives us some terms:

Zoonoses: animal infections transmissible to humans
Reservoir host: any species in which a zoonotic bug lives permanently, inconspicuously, without causing symptoms
Spillover: when a zoonotic bug passes from its reservoir host into its first human victim

And then David explains very clearly why, how and what. Here’s a short impression of quotes:

“This is not a small subject at the weird fringe of medicine. 60% of the infectious diseases known among humans are zoonotic.”

“These zoonoses, for all their bad effects, serve one valuable purpose. They remind us of the connectedness between humans and other species.”

“Zoonoses tend to reaffirm the old Darwinian truth, probably the darkest of his truths, that we humans are animals. We’re part of nature. We’re not separate from it. Or somehow above it.”

“It’s been a drumbeat of new viruses emerging over recent years.”

“Now you know more about the future of infectious disease than 99% of the human population.”

“Why are all these spillovers occurring? Why are some of them quickly circling the world? I can answer in two words: disruption and connectivity.”

“More and more we, humans, are disrupting the wild, diverse ecosystems that harbor so many different kinds of creatures. And for each species, there is probably at least one unique form of a virus.”

“All of our logging and burning and road-building and settlements and killing and eating of bushmeat, all of those actions, tend to shake loose new viruses from the reservoir hosts. Giving them the opportunity to infect humans instead.”

“Once they infect us, replicate, adapt, they can travel with the speed of an airplane. Killing millions of people along the way.”

“The real effort is trying to persuade you, and other people, of the deeper meaning of zoonotic disease. The deeper meaning is more than just preventing human illness. It goes back to that basic Darwinian truth.”

“The deeper meaning is that people and gorillas, chimps and monkeys and horses, rodents and bats and viruses, we’re all in this together.”

Wow. Just let it sink in for a moment.

I highlighted some parts of his talk because I think there are important aspects to talk about next.

Health

One of the good things that have come out of this still scarily ongoing episode with coronavirus is that we take science seriously again. I really hope that we realize that zoonotic diseases are not at the fringes of our medical science, but should be getting a central stage.

This is important stuff, girls and guys! We should be studying zoonotic diseases much more at universities. Understand and find ways to deal with it. And by dealing with it I don’t mean giving big pharma an unlimited playfield to earn money. No, that stage has passed. That’s history! No more!

And by dealing with it I don’t mean giving big pharma an unlimited playfield to earn money. No, that stage has passed. That’s history! No more!

I mean really understand. Understand the connectivity. Combine groups of medical researchers with ecologists and find the connections. Connect them with communities and entrepreneurs who will apply this new-found knowledge to our societies.

Let’s create applied sciences for the good of all species. Protecting humans in a way that’s respecting the vital (and humble) role we have within the ecosystems.

Environment

This virus is not some sort of circumstance outside of ourselves. We have unleashed this monster by our own actions.

Some might see it as a revenge of God or Nature. I don’t see it that way. I’m far too grounded, too practical for that. I just see it as cause and effect.

I don’t see it as revenge. I just see it as cause and effect.

We, humans, have thought ourselves in control. We have played God, but we haven’t been doing that very well. Nature is too complicated to understand with our rational, reductionistic brain. So we make mistakes. Big mistakes.

And the biggest mistake of all is that we don’t abide by the laws of nature. We don’t even really know what these laws are. They are vast! And we’ll never understand them properly if we’re not in touch with our inner wisdom.

Natural laws are combining tangible material stuff with unseen creatures and energies. And with our rational sciences, we only touch the surface of knowledge…

Joanna Macy is a wise woman who understands this more than most. She said this in a podcast recorded by Tree Sisters.

“Two great rivers have been separated for five centuries. The river of spirituality and the river of science. This separation has made us crazy. It has thrown us into fake and false control of each other. In this century these rivers are merging. And as they do, the biggest news is reaching us: our earth is alive!” — Joanna Macy in Grief, Grit, and Grace.

Ever since René Descartes said ‘Cogito, ergo sum’, translated as ‘I think, therefore I am’, we are only studying in reductionist ways. Not realizing the consequences of all connections. Please, scientists, universities, start studying systemically.

See the connections and learn. Unleash your inner wisdom and learn fast now!

What can we do?

Well, I get back to what I’m saying in my other articles as well. My motto is:

“Let’s restore ecosystems and learn as a human species how to live together within the planetary boundaries.”

I really hope that politicians see that what they thought was impossible has now happened. Right-wing and left-wing politicians have both said that quantitative economic growth is the only way. Well, it isn’t.

Does the Coronavirus Trigger New Economic Ways With Less Pollution?

NASA satellite footage shows an astonishing drop in Chinese pollution

medium.com

We are suddenly creating less pollution. Agreed, it’s ruining our lives as we knew it. But is that the fault of the coronavirus? Or is life as we knew it just not feasible anymore?

This will not go away.

We cannot go on with ‘business as usual’ when the dust settles. Our economy is collapsing now, so we should be working on a new economic model. We need ‘business as unusual’.

It might be time for:

‘Economies of scope’ instead of ‘economies of scale’. If you don’t know what that means, you might like to read this

Business Models: from Linear to Circular to Regenerative

How can we create regenerative business models? How can business models benefit from synergy and create abundance for…

medium.com

Local, regenerative economies that make money very active in a local setting and create wealth for our communities (including all other species than humans) this way
Making products with local, abundantly available materials, such as mycelium, thistles, nettles, industrial hemp, bamboo, kelp, etc.
Innovating our products so that they don’t need loads of energy and we don’t need so many windmills and solar panels to fulfill the need for fuel. Biomimicry will give loads of inspiration here
In short: we need nature-based solutions!

In governments, we can discuss:

A universal basic income. So people will have money to spend on basic needs
Laws curbing unlimited greed, land speculation, and exploitation of natural resources
True pricing, so the negative effects of businesses cannot be thrown over the wall into society anymore
Taxes on raw materials instead of labor. This would create many jobs, give people the money to fulfill their basic needs, and prevent waste and unnecessary exploitation of natural resources

We are part of nature. Let’s act upon that fact and re-invent our societies. And stop yelling at me. Stop saying: “My government does nothing. I am powerless!”

And stop yelling at me. Stop saying: “My government does nothing. I am powerless!”

Nobody is powerless! We have the power of a chain. We can be weak or we can be strong. We can be a domino stone unleashing the positive change. We can do better! All of us!

We are all consumers. As of today, we can spend our money where our hearts are. We can make our lives simple. We can limit our spending to basic needs. Stop ego-shopping. Unleash the abundance of nature with our methods and share it with all species.

We can work on our inner peace, so we can act out of love instead of fear. And have compassion for refugees. Have compassion for all our sisters and brothers. We are all on the same path, doing our best to cope…

And we can learn how to live with insecurity. Life is taking risks. Life is standing up and speaking our truths. Life is marvelous and dangerous, and special, and exciting.

Let’s live life to the full! Happy living!

If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn or somewhere in Nature, experiencing her vast intelligence…

Thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my words on zoonoses. We get scared too. But we try to cope and do better. And we try to inspire others to do the same…

Nature, Me, and Others

Here’s my story, especially for Illumination readers, editors, and writers and the rest of my audience…

medium.com

About materials. Designers, please help us!

Unusual, Yucky Materials Can Prevent Waste Forever

The soil can be end-user of our products — with unlimited potential for designers

medium.com

About ecosystem restoration. It can be done large scale, so let’s get on with it!

Why Ecosystem Restoration Comes First in the New Business Models

We need abundant resources, resources, resources…

medium.com