Nature and Socio-Economic Systems

At the outset of the fourth year of publication of this journal, the pandemic continues to loom over the collective imagination of humankind.As a consequence, the past few months, and indeed, almost the entire year, have been characterized by extraordinary change and, perhaps, deep reflection.The pandemic reminds us of the frailty of the human condition and the many threads that weave us together to create either a rich tapestry or an unmitigated disaster.In whichever part of the world we live, the pandemic currently overshadows what we do and how we use our capabilities.Meanwhile, another common unifying force, nature, remains unheeded in many ways.For it binds us in an unobtrusive manner.All of our economic activities and social institutions operate within the ecological realities of the planet that we live on.As such, scholars have tried to provide pointers for determining a "safe operating space" for humanity.In simple words, it is the room that we have to function in to improve our individual and collective well-being, if the threats of biodiversity loss, climate change, and so on are to be averted.What happens when we do not respect these limits to operating space?Is the pandemic nature's way of reminding us about the need to live within its limits?Maybe yes or maybe no; perhaps this line of reasoning appears too far-fetched.Note, however, that studies have shown that land use change contributes in a non-trivial way to the emergence of vector borne and zoonotic diseases.Nevertheless, we need to understand the implications of such linkages more clearly.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

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