Stop destruction of Nature.

Text 1
 Read the text and write a sentence to summarise each paragraph.
1. _______________________________________________

   More deadly and destructive deseases will follow the coronavirus pandemic if we do not stop the destruction of the natural world. We are the only species responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic model that gives priority to economic growth is the responsible. A recent survey led by professors Settele, Díaz and Bronzino concluded that human society is in danger from the accelerating deterioration of the Earth’s natural life systems.

2. _________________________________________________________

   Human activities bring more people into contact and conflict with wild animals, from which 70% of human deseases originate. Urbanisation and the explosive growth of global air travel enables a virus in Asian bats to bring chaos around the world. Yet Covid-19 may be only the beginning.
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   More public money will be needed now to help private economies and it will also go to prop up intensive agricultural , airlines, and fossil-fuel-dependent energy sectors. By doing this we will accelarate the process of destruction because we are investing on the causes of destruction.

4. _______________________________________________________________

   The health of people is connected to the health of wildlife and the health of the environment. Nature is sending a message with the covid pandemic and the climate change. Nature does not understand the word revenge. It is our actions that are responding against our interests. We can learn from this crisis and get stronger but only if learn to interact with nature. The mistake was thinking that we were not part of the natural world, that we were the chosen species, and then we could do whatever we liked.

Adapted from : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/halt-destruction-nature-worse-pandemics-top-scientists

TEXT 2.

    Markus Gabriel is a 40 years old German phylosopher. He thinks the covid-19 is just the beginning of a chain of other crisis to come. But on the other side, he believes a new, more moral, ecological world will come out of this. This is nothing compared with the ecological crisis. World governements know that it is going to kill hundreds of thousands of people in the coming years. Governments know it, and voices are raising calling for a new model of global economy, a new Green Deal. 

    The rich are now also obsessed with their health and with what is going to happen. China, he says, is not trustworthy, it is just taking revenge on previous agressions. We have to find new ways of dealing with China and it cannot be through globalisation and unfair deal. Why do European companies have factories in China? For the lower wages. That is not moral. 

    He says there is an infectious chain in capitalist transactions. Even our tiniest everyday actions have consequences. When you buy  paracetamol, a toy for your baby or a car some people at some point of the production chain has had to suffer. We are all responsible for the suffering of others because we are all interconnected. At some point of these interconnections of chains there is somebody who dies because of the lack of clean water, draughts that cause starvation, pollution, or for other causes connected with the way our economy interacts with the environment ( covid-19). If you do wrong you make the world a worse place to live in . Neoliberalism is a destruction machine. 

    If we think of life  we realise that it is crazy. We  become better human beings by just doing less. Remember the lockdown period in 2020. In a way, many people felt better an more connected with themselves and with the others. If we try to go back to normal, nature will respond against it and we will not have peace until we behave in a more sustainable way. 

    What he fears most is that Trump will win the elections. Then, if there is a fast economic recovery, people will see him as an example. His policies will bring more chaos globally. That is a real threat. 

1. What would you say, is Markus Gabriel an optimist or a pessimist? Why? What are you? 

2. What two different types of crisis does he see? 

3. Explain the term  infectious chain according to the test?  

4. Trump is a representative of populism and America a good one of capitalism and neoliberalism.  Explain the concepts populism,  capitalism and neoliberalism? fFind out about the history, the good things and the bad things. What are the alternatives? Why does Markus see a problem in Trump's winning the elections?

5. In a sense, Markus is a moralist; he talks of being moral and immoral. Morality has to do with the fact that humans, and that makes us differents from animals, are free to choose between doing good or evil. Doing good is morally correct and brings us also good things, whereas acting wrong or being immoral brings evil as a result. If we think about the way we live and the things; 

a. do you think you and your family could change habits in order to be more moral? Make a list with the things you do and how can you change that. 

b. How do your daily actiong affect the environment or other people? 

6. Some people have just discovered that they are feeling better by being locked down. Why? Are you one of those? Do you know anybody?