2020: the death of ‘normal’ society

Six months in and 2020 has delivered a new challenge every

month. But what if this isn’t the great disaster we’re perceiving

it to be, and instead exactly what we need?

With hope for this year to bring about some easier times, 2020 came in quick to disappoint. Each

month seems to bring with it a new struggle; from Australia’s back to back bushfires and

floods, to a pandemic serious enough that it’s put a jolting halt to any dreams of travel. And with

social restrictions still echoing in our ears, June is set to continue the trend of eventful months

after the murder of George Floyd has sparked massive protests all across the globe. It’s easy to

get lost in the chaos and there has been a notable drop in mental health as a result, but despite the

constant struggle to overcome each new challenge, 2020 might not be the mess it’s presenting to

be. In fact, it could be seen as the wakeup call that humanity has needed for some time, giving us

all the opportunity to make some much-needed changes to how we live.

Only a year ago in 2019, there was a demand for countries to start taking global warming more

seriously. While some changes were implemented, a lot of the protests fell on deaf ears. Then

came the Australian bushfires. While they had begun to pop up before June, it took months

before these unprecedented fires had gathered any proper global attention. But by January 2020

all eyes were on Australia as civilians and celebrities alike donated to help the cause, grieving

together for the loss of property, land and animals—for who could ever forget those

heartbreaking videos of koalas as they fled across smouldering coals? The fires brought new

attention to global warming, a sudden spark to Greta Thunberg’s message when she called for

action. People were listening; they were starting to see the damage caused by ignoring the

gradual heating of our planet. After all, it becomes increasingly hard to turn a blind eye when the

problem is now burning in your backyard, and February’s floods left little time to recover with

Covid-19 also hot on its heel. It was a rough time for all of humanity, not just Australians, but

behind the scenes, something else was taking place.

By April almost all flights had been cancelled due to Covid-19 and even the world’s busiest

airport was starting to resemble the set of an eerie post-apocalyptic movie, with hardly any

travellers in sight. With a steep decrease in planes traversing the skies and many countries

forcing their populations to remain indoors, CO2 emissions began to drop. China, the first

country to feel the pandemic full force as well as the world’s biggest contributor to CO2

emissions, saw their emission rates drop by a quarter. Two months following and these rates are

still below the norm. Italy, the second country to shut down following a severe number of COVID-

19 outbreaks, saw dolphin sightings rise in frequency as well Venice’s canals running clear for

the first time in years. Japan had deer roaming the streets of Nara, with monkeys doing the same

in Thailand. Covid-19 has done what so many claimed to be impossible and shown us that it is

very conceivable to cut back on emissions and work toward slowing global warming. And these

fixes work surprisingly quickly too. Given the opportunity, nature does not hesitate to claim back

the world we have made our own. So, with social restrictions beginning to ease and our freedom

slowly returning, now is the time to willingly offer such an opportunity again. We know it

works, there is no excuse to stop us from working toward a sustainable planet that looks after the

land we live on.

But 2020 hasn’t stopped there. With the need to change how we treat the planet, there is now

also a shift in society. A demand for justice, equity and understanding. George Floyd’s death has

spurred one of the biggest peaceful protests in history after he was murdered by police during an

arrest. Black lives matter protests are now taking place internationally, calling for the police

force to be defunded and to end the systematic racism not only in America but in all

countries—because yes, it is prevalent here in Australia too! These protests have shown an uglier

side of society; police pepper-spraying children, looters destroying small businesses, and political

leaders in hiding and in denial. Both sides of the protests have gone so far now that it seems

impossible for things ever to return as they were. No one would expect that. Not after the

violence, the grief and the destruction. It feels almost as if we are brewing civil war. America

already looks to be deep in it, and with peaceful protestors being cornered and pepper-sprayed in

Sydney Central Station, it seems that we in Australia might be following in their footsteps. The

people are rightfully angry, and who knows what is still to come.

The numerous tragedies and hardships faced so far this year have left many still picking the

pieces back together. But there is also a trail of positive reactions. Change is already beginning to

show—popping up as individuals, groups and countries begin to work toward a better world. Just

one example is Germany, who is making the move to shut down all coal plants by 2038. Or

Canada, whose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined peaceful BLM protestors and even took the

knee as a sign of respect. These might not be frequently making the front cover of any

newspapers, swept aside by more despairing updates, but they are happening. 2020 is proving to

be a critical and pivotal year in our history. It has been uncomfortable, showing people parts of

society and of the world that they did not necessarily want to see. But uncomfortable is what we

need. The ‘normal’ we had grown used to was no longer progressive. It had become stale,

turning a blind eye to the environmental needs of our world and to those oppressed in society

who were still calling for equity. Now that we are starting to feel uncomfortable, faced with the

consequences of the normal we have chosen to accept, it has become clear that we cannot return

to where we stood before 2020 came charging in. We have still half a year left, and there are

bound to be more shocking and confronting twists still waiting for us around the corner. Change

is happening and after this year I both hope, and strongly believe, that ‘normal’ is dead.

Written by Zakhir Saibu