The lesson to define the “New Normal”

How many times have we heard it this year? The now-classic “new normal”. That expression seems to indicate that things will never be the same again. There is no doubt that this year has been full of challenges for all of us. However, we must not forget that two things can come out of challenges: either defeats or lessons learned. If we are at the end of the year, in the last mile of the race, it is because we have survived and we have not yet lost. So, what have we learned?

We have learned that things cannot be the same as they were before. For years, we have worried about climate change, with hundreds of reports and news warnings that the damage is so extensive that there would probably be no way to reverse it. Well, during the pandemic, thanks to the social distancing imposed almost worldwide, daily CO2 emissions fell by 17% compared to last year. This result means that change is feasible if we do not ignore 2020 lessons.

We must define the new normal as a period of awareness and action. During this period, we have come to understand the fragility of the human race as a species. Also, we have remembered the importance of placing value on things that matter such as our people, of course, but also our planet. The new normal must understand that earth is not only ours and that nature is more resilient than any species. If we do not care for it and we do not work in harmony with it, there will be no place left for us in the ecosystem of the next decades.

This movement must take place at all levels: in institutions and governments, in the public sector, and individually. We must take concrete measures and sacrifice the necessary with conviction, determination, and irreversibility. We have run out of time to be content with speeches and promises for the distant future. We already have evidence that it is possible, now let’s get to work. We all have a responsibility to do our part so that we can continue enjoying the world as we know it.

We cannot allow the tragedy of the pandemic to be in vain. This situation will not kill us, but climate change has the potential to do so if we do not learn our lesson. The “new normal” begins today and is a call to reinforce our commitment and respect for our world.