Coronovirus: In pursuit of human safeguards

Noor Ul Shahbaz
The human life in this world since its existence has seen ups and downs, development and destruction, peace and war and this human existence is not without purpose, all it has as its goal and an achievable end that is peace, prosperity and well-being. Human being by his consciousness had at times attained the highest objectives of justice and peace and the same human being has lead this existence to destruction as well. No weapon, machinery, atom bomb and other nuclear weapons can function unless and untill the human brain acts behind it. One of the deadliest and destructive elements in addition to the former is environmental pollution, viruses, infections and diseases caused by it and at this present juncture a pandemic Coronovirus Covid-19 has put the whole world under its cover. I am not an expert of medical sciences and neither will unevenly try to define the disease but will try to draw your attention to its other side.
Polluted environment affects directly to the health-mental as well as physical, of human beings, and therefore, it is human being alone whose survival has become difficult due to the change in physical, chemical and biological conditions of the environment. Environmental pollution has considerably affected the quality of human life, and have a direct impact on a number of economic, social, cultural and civil and political rights. The legal sanctity behind environment as a basic human right is under the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, 1966 (ICESCR) which provides right to work, right to enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work, in particular, a decent living for himself and their families, right to safe and healthy working conditions, right to everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family including food, clothing and housing and to continuous improvement of living conditions and the right of every one to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Right to life provided under Article 6(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 (ICCPR) and all municipal laws is largely affected by polluted environment. Although the term ‘right to life’ has not been elaborated under the covenant, broadly it includes right to food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care and safe and decent environment. The protection of the above rights of the individuals, no doubt dependent upon the economic and social conditions of the states, but environment has a direct bearing upon them. Polluted environment is bound to reduce the efficiency of work, results in various diseases like COVID-19 (coronovirus). Dangerous levels of pollution in water, air, earth and living things; major and undesirable disturbances to the ecological balance of the biosphere; destruction and depletion of irreplaceable resources and gross deficiencies harmful to the physical, mental and social health of men, in the manmade environment, particularly in the living, the working environment have affected the human rights.The destruction caused by the coronovirus or other related diseases in past may be controlled and the human lives be saved. The fulfillment of our rights is dependent upon the role played by the nations either they have to act to further the protection of our rights or they must be prohibited from doing certain acts which adversely affect our rigts. The state as supreme sovereign authority can prohibit, penalise its subjects if they play any role which is dangerous for the overall community and the state also can be made responsible if it remains negligent to control any evil which may lead to mass destruction. It is the collective responsibility of the nations towards protection of environment which is at its stake and a threat to this world further the better health care system rather the manufacturing of weapons, atomic bombs, other nuclear weapons, indulging in warfare which leads to destruction and wastage of public money. Here the states responsibility incurs’s by the breach of the “trust” which is entrusted on them in a democratic system. It is breach of an obligation so essential for the protection of fundamental entrust i-e, health and it constitutes international crime when I relate it with collective responsibility of international community. It is criminal breach on a wide spread scale for not safeguarding the human being or not safeguarding the preservation of human environment or not prohibiting such acts which amounts to massive pollution of the atmosphere and hence is an international crime. That is a crime independent of any treaty or agreement between the states but breach of a basic agreement between individual as a subject and the state as his protector from all evils. The economic strength of most of the countries is sound enough if drawing of their budgets towards military purposes is totally prohibited. There should be a major shift in the policies of states to utilise public money on protection of environment and healthcare system and total prohibition at an international level consented by all the nations on manufacturing of weapons and indulging in wars, which although seems very difficult but is not unachievable. It is an irony that priority is given to a weapon which is a sign of destruction and a human being is made subject of sufferings for non-availability of basic medical facilities. It is irony that millions of human beings die due to starvation and public money is utilised for warfare and other unreasonable purposes. It is irony that doctor as a frontline soldier is forced to fight against a pandemic without providing him basic equipments as he is thrown into the mouth of death. It is irony that the state sovereign’s does not learn from their past mistakes in which these diseases have taken lives of millions of humans and they still are in the race of manufacturing more and more nuclear weapons. And it is the grave irony that their supremacy, sovereignty is rubbed under the foot by an invisible disease or virus and still they do not leave their arrogance of being at top at the cost of lives of innocent human beings in the race of wasting public money for purposes which cause destruction.
Manufacturing of weapons is not a solution but well being of Human Beings a priority…Coronovirus not beyond human brain but more destructive and horrifying ———————————————————————————-I am not talking about those aims and objectives which are unachievable but am talking it on the bais of importance of environment and importance of safe and adequate human environment was stressed in the Stockholm conference of 1972. When the declaration adopted in the conference proclaimed that both aspects of men’s environment, the natural and the man made, are essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights even the right to life itself. Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro has also recognised that, “all human beings are entitled to a health and productive life in harmony with nature”. At all times the uncontrolled or unplanned activities of men have been causing environmental deterioration. Deforestation, soil and water degradation and desertification are recycling in an alarming proportion and are seriously endagering the living conditions. Changes in the atmosphere such as those in the Ozone layer and acid-rain pollution of the seas and island waters constitute grave threats to the human environment. Safe and adequate environment is one of the means by which human rights can be protected and promoted not by the machine guns and nuclear weapons. The protection of basic rights is impossible to achieve until the safe and adequate environment is made available to human beings. Conclusion: Although COVID-19 an intangible virus or disease and other diseases like it are hundred times destructive in their nature than a machine gun. Such an enemy which takes its birth by our own err or gross negligence, can be shot dead or avoided to take birth if we leave our arrogance. Nothing is destructive if human brain takes its way in the right direction for the betterment of existence of a human being and not only human beings but all beings in this universe. Utilisation of money on weapons leads to war’s, destructive and horrifying like world war-I and II and wise utilisation of money on health and working conditions of people leads to cure of diseases and eradication of poverty, starvation although (if attention is not paid and steps taken) more destructive and horrifying than world war-I and II.
( The author is Lecturer at Sopore Law College. Views are his own, [email protected])