OK, did I get your attention?

The world is in an interesting place (“interesting” as in the Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times”).  Where do I see us as being, and where will we go, and why?

The first part is the current situation: all nations seem to be crawling back into their holes – fine for a nation such as Australia which could be self-sufficient if it chooses, less good for (physically) smaller nation-states dependent on trade,  How long can this be sustained?   A year?  Six months, three months. one month?  My guess is that after a month the fragile consensus with break down.  What happens after that is dependent on what Imports/exports a government allows – and how much hypocrisy the electorate will forgive.

The second question is clearly dependent on the answer to Q1.  Assuming that all (westernised) nations come to the same conclusion at the same time, international transfer of food and other goods will resume, although with greater precautions and checks than before,  Transfer of people (and animals) will be significantly restricted, for ever, I suspect.

So, where does “Gaia” come into it?  The Gaia hypothesis was proposed (I think) by James Lovelock.  Basically it says that the Earth is a self-sustaining entity which alters conditions on Earth to sustain life (not human life, just life in the widest sense).  Gaia is the Earth-goddess.  So if “the Earth” needs to wipe out Homo Sapiens in order that Life-on-Earth survives, this will occur – through the coronavirus, or some other pathogen or event.

I can no-more believe in Gaia than I could in a Catholic “God” (vide recent events regarding “Archbishop” George Pell), however there can be no doubt that the environment will benefit from the reduction in human actvity – reduced intercontinental ‘plane flights, etc.

I do not think we will EVER return to the previous level of activity – transcontinental flights will forever be more difficult and expensive, the era of inexpensive world exploration is over, I am pretty sure.  Overall, though, I suspect that the world be better for these changes.

Gaia, I see your power …