The globalization of markets was not a spontaneous and inevitable phenomenon. It has a history of twists and turns. The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have revealed its fragility: the former disrupted some supply chains of technological components and minerals for two years, while the latter threatens to cause famine in countries dependent on Ukrainian grain exports, particularly in Africa.
These two events show the extraordinary interdependence of the human family. The health problems of Chinese workers in Wuhan affected the entire world, while the ongoing war in Ukraine brings into play alliances and rivalries that few countries can escape.
The proposed ecological transition – that is, the need for the entire planet to abandon fossil fuels and transform lifestyles to make them compatible with ecological constraints – is another dimension in which we experience the unity of the planet. One out of every five glasses of water we drink comes from the “evapotranspiration” of the great trees of the Amazon, so it is no exaggeration for each of us to say, “I am the Amazon.”
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© Union of Catholic Asian News
2023
