[The Editors' Verdict] The Warning Sent by the Coronavirus to Humanity

Since December last year, when the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 4 million, and the death toll has exceeded 250,000. The entire world is in a pandemic situation. Although the fatality rate of COVID-19 is lower compared to SARS and MERS, its infectivity and transmission speed are much higher, requiring everyone to virtually halt outdoor activities and socio-economic activities to prevent infection.

As the 'social distancing' campaign to reduce the spread of COVID-19 continues, various side effects have also emerged. Economic difficulties such as job losses are the biggest problem, and the increase in domestic violence is one of them. With most family members staying home longer due to remote work and school delays, conflicts have become more frequent and often escalated into violence. Recently, demand for pet-related products has also surged after COVID-19. COVID-19 is having an enormous impact on all aspects of our daily lives.

Generally, after recovering from an infectious disease, antibodies are produced, granting immunity. However, in the case of coronaviruses, which are composed only of RNA genes, mutations occur easily, and repeated infections in humans are possible. This is similar to the principle of catching the flu every year. From this perspective, developing a definitive treatment and vaccine is difficult, making it impossible to completely eradicate the COVID-19 virus from the earth. It appears that social distancing will need to continue cautiously going forward.

As people reduce outdoor activities, air pollution levels have significantly improved. In major U.S. metropolitan areas such as New York, Seattle, and LA, nitrogen dioxide emissions have decreased by more than 50%. This is thought to be a result of reduced traffic due to quarantine measures. On June 1, the Ministry of Environment announced that the nationwide average concentration of fine dust measured from December last year to March this year decreased by about 27% compared to the same period last year. With the reduction in fine dust concentration, there have been days in Seoul when constellations can be seen in the night sky. Additionally, in China, the atmosphere has greatly improved following the COVID-19 outbreak, as industrial activity decreased by more than 40% since December last year.

On May 7, the Legislative Research Office pointed out, "Following SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2015, infectious diseases such as COVID-19 have occurred consecutively, and their occurrence cycle is accelerating," analyzing that "coronavirus family infectious diseases are transmitted to humans through wild animals as intermediate hosts from bat coronaviruses, and this has occurred due to increased contact between humans and wildlife caused by climate change and ecosystem destruction."

There is an argument that the fundamental background for the periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases is deeply related to 'cities.' The gathering of people in groups created favorable conditions for the spread of infectious diseases. Furthermore, the development of aviation and other means expanded international exchanges, which is also a major cause. This time as well, major cities that serve as transportation hubs, such as Wuhan and New York, played a central role in the spread of the virus.

The main cause of the spread of the coronavirus is indiscriminate environmental destruction and the establishment of concentrated urban centers, which are the core of civilization. These ultimately stem from material civilization that pursues convenience alone and human greed. Although the coronavirus is merely a microorganism, it is demonstrating through its actions to greedy humans who plunder and destroy natural ecosystems. The coronavirus warns humanity that disturbing natural ecosystems through selfish survival methods will ultimately bring about greater disasters. The Earth is a single living community. Taking this COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity, humanity must be reborn from greedy individuals into members of the global community.

Im Juhwan, Advisor, Korea Information and Communication Industry Research Institute