Learn from the Pandemic: What Looms That Requires Preparation

by blackspanielgallery

What else will happen? Some things are possible to foresee to an extent, and we can determine expected consequences.

The Pandemic of 2020 is different than anything I have experienced in over seventy years, and its impact is great in many unexpected ways. If we are to learn from the pandemic, one thing that should be asked is what looms? Then, start preparation while there is time.

No one could have anticipated the pandemic. We can only react to a situation that came upon us. But some disasters announce themselves well in advance. Every disaster takes on its own characteristics bringing its own set of problems. So, no matter how we currently respond, a new set of needs will have to be met to respond to the next disaster.

What Looms on the Horizon?

One thing that we know is that oil and gas have a finite supply.  We also know it takes millions of years to replace them.  When they run out, if we do nothing to abate the consequences, what will the world be like?

 

Without oil we will have difficulty getting fuel.  Planes will be grounded, and not just those bringing passengers from an affected part of the world.  The entire planet will be impacted.

 

Without oil unessential cruise ships will be docked.  Fuel will become too precious to use for recreation.

 

Would lack of oil be significant in interruption of the food supply?  Well, it might be necessary to divert fuel to farmers for their machines to produce the food, and to trucks to haul food.  But expensive fuel might push most items out of the price range of many.  The variety of food one now can select from might be reduced to whatever is produced locally.

 

Many power plants still rely on oil or natural gas.  Yes, there is a call for clean renewable power, but the call is too often unheeded.  It will not be that if you live close to a power plant that uses renewable power you will have all the electricity that you need.  Power will be diverted through the grid to places such as hospitals many miles from your location. 

 

Any disruption to essential needs such as power can disrupt the economy.  Companies can fail.  This further limits what you can purchase if you have the money.

Another Problem Looming

Global warming is another issue getting too little attention.  Global warming changes the weather patterns of the world.  Places that are arid will be wet, and places with plenty of rainfall will become arid.  In a hotter environment crops will perish in extreme heat.  The abundance of food, and even the variety of food available can decrease dramatically.

 

Floods can be a consequence.  Arid regions usually have little absorption by the soil of rainfall, so if they suddenly shift to wet regions floods will follow.

 

Storms will increase in number and intensity.  Water is the fuel of storms, and warmer air evaporates and holds more water that cooler air.

 

Global warming can melt polar ice.  If all of the ice on the planet melts sea level will rise many feet.  Oceans will spread inland, inundating many coastal communities, and even some communities that are miles inland.  Relocating millions of people is costly and will overburden other areas.

Conclusion

Two disasters looming, running out of fossil fuel and global warming, have dire consequences.  These can alter lives as dramatically as the pandemic that is upon us.  But unlike the pandemic, which will pass in time, these are permanent consequences, at least as far as the current population is concerned. 

 

The above consequences are just part of what might occur in the scenarios mentioned.  Some will be unexpected.  Also, other dangers lurk.  

 

Now is the time to heed the warning, and to prepare for those future dangers that are apparent.  When they arrive, it will be too late to make a quick recovery, if a recovery is even possible.  Some things such as an asteroid impact could also occur, but we might not have as much time to prepare. 

 

This article contains links to affiliate programs and Adsense advertising.  These must use cookies to allow for proper crediting. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

The introduction image is our own Zazzle product, which uses a public domain image from NASA.

Updated: 03/23/2020, blackspanielgallery
 
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blackspanielgallery on 11/12/2020

Solar power will be m in secure as long as there is the sun, scheduled to become a problem is about 5,000,000,000 years, probably after everyone on wizzley has died, so it is not a problem. Winds patterns can shift, but can be utilized if we follow the wind. However, such things as mountains determine wind fields, so we would expect a long term security for wind power.

DerdriuMarriner on 11/12/2020

blackspanielgallery, Thank you for the practicalities and products: that there is no planet B is so telling!
The United Nations released a report last year or the year before on worldwide depletion of quality soils. Is it possible that relying on solar and wind power can have similarly depleting effects on those two resources?

blackspanielgallery on 04/09/2020

Politicians often do what their party wants over what is best.

frankbeswick on 04/08/2020

Exiting the EU was a strategy to please the rich that was sold to gullible folk by lies and crude nationalism, so expect problems when we leave. So keen is our cynical prime minister to appeal to the mob of Eurosceptics in his own party that he has refused the perfectly reasonable request to extend the transition period. Some foods from Europe may be harder to obtain, especially if the French fishermen blockade Calais in protest about loss of fishing rights. Much of our trade passes through Calais, a fact that came as a surprise to our foreign secretary, despite his having two degrees from Oxford and Cambridge!

blackspanielgallery on 04/07/2020

Here gasoline is cheaper than it was in years. There is no prohibition against driving, since one is contained inside the vehicle. In Louisiana a man's home is considered his castle, and since his automobile is an extension of his home it is protected by a law named the Castle Law.
Much produce is from this area. In fact, farmers markets, places where farmers sell their produce on a predetermined day are considered essential, but one recently went to a drive through format where people would pass the stands and buy. I believe the purchases were pre-made and paid using plastic cards.
The question we need to ponder here is that when a different type of disaster occurs, will the ability of growing things locally still be possible?
As for produce sources for the United Kingdom, how does exiting the EU impact this economically and even availability?

frankbeswick on 04/07/2020

The council asked us to avoid driving to allotments, if possible and to similarly refrain from using public transport, so I have been walking back home. This is part of my recovery strategy, in which I am trying to regain muscular health.Doing this will also help me to lose some more weight, for I need to lose eleven pounds [five kilograms] by the end of the year. This will bring my body mass index down to a suitable level, but whether one of my heavy build can attain this level I know not,

Mira on 04/07/2020

It's a dream to be able to tend to a garden in these days of confinement. Enjoy, but take care! It's good to hear from you too!

frankbeswick on 04/07/2020

Just to clarify a point, visiting an allotment does not break pandemic control regulations, as it counts as daily exercise.

frankbeswick on 04/07/2020

It was good to her from you again, Mira. Your comment is absolutely right. We need food to be locally grown. I am off to my allotment today to plant some carrots and peas, that's local growing.

Mira on 04/07/2020

Maybe it would be a good idea, after all, for many reasons, to have food sourced locally more than it happens now. Farmers in Romania have a surplus of veggies but supermarkets carry a lot of veggies from Spain and Italy. It would help both national security and what you say about saving oil to have these farmers deliver more to large supermarkets. They do to an extent, but probably not enough. Of course then there will be the question about what to do with the size of agriculture businesses in Spain and Italy, which now serve both these countries and many others.

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