Working from home, staying local, essential travel only, and freedom passes were all mandated in 2020 to combat Covid-19 now they're all back, but this time it's to 'save the planet.'
What are the chances that two entirely different crises need exactly the same measures to solve?
OP-ED by Darren Birks
The only similarities between the two, as far as I can see, is the fact they are both invisible to the naked eye. One a virus (Covid-19), the other a molecule (CO2). One causes the occasional bout of flu, the other might make the weather a bit warmer a few hundred years from now, and yet Covid and Pollution appear to both be solvable by lockdowns. Seriously, what are the chances of that?
Work from home
Stay Local
Essential Travel Only
Essential Purchases Only
Freedom Pass
One begins to wonder exactly what scenario couldn't be solved with lockdowns: Crime? (already been suggested); Misogyny? (Welsh government recently considered it), Equality? that word keeps cropping up in conjunction with 15-minute-cities so it must be.
When humans are seen as the problem, their removal can always be seen as the cure.
The vilification of people for just living their lives has helped of course. You weren't just refusing the state injectable, you were killing granny. You're not just taking the kids to school, you're polluting their lungs. You aren't just eating meat, you're killing the planet.
The same psyops for Covid is now being used for the climate emergency. The fact that there's an unholy alliance of big tech, big business and big government all doing it means that sceptics feel like they're being gaslighted.
Those who spotted what looked suspiciously like the same narrative, just with some details changed, were immediately denounced as tin-foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists. Yes both 'crises' were declared by the UN, and yes they were the ones who also came up with the solutions, and yes, the solutions may be similar, but, the supporters assure us, this was merely a coincidence. stop being a far-right conspiracy theorist.
But those labelled conspiracy theorists have been proved right, over and over again since 2020. Those who had claimed Covid Lockdowns would lead to Climate Lockdowns appear to have been right all along. In May 2020, whilst we were all distracted by a killer plague the government issued an update to the 2004 Traffic Management Act that instructed local councils to implement LTNs, repurpose a third of all roads as cycleways, and begin the use of 'traffic filters' that effectively filtered-out private cars from the roads.
Work from home
Government Energy advisors (IEA) now routinely recommend WFH policies as a way of cutting carbon and reducing energy consumption.
Stay Local
The entire concept of 15 minute cities is for citizens to 'stay local'. A series of restrictions, zones, gates, filters, and permits are all designed to deter you from leaving your neighbourhood.
Essential Travel Only
Another aspect of 15 minute cities is to make travel out of your zone only allowed for essential purposes.
Essential Purchases Only
in 2020 during the first lockdown, supermarkets shut-off entire rows of produce. Anything deemed non-essential could not be bought for any money. This Communist-style shopping is now resurfacing as an anti-pollution measure.
'Freedom' Pass
Freedom Passes became a thing in 2020 with the advent of Covid Passports. Now Freedom Passes are being mandated again, this time in the form of 15 minute neighbourhood permits. The format may be different, but the purpose: permission to regain your freedom, is the same.
Pollution lockdowns will also feature natty slogans that sound familiar too. You won't be asked to 'Save Lives' you'll be asked to 'Save the Planet'. You won't be nudged to 'Protect the NHS' you'll be nudged to 'Protect the Environment'. You won't be cajoled to 'get boosted' you'll be cajoled to 'get the bus' and anyone, anyone, who questions the message will face a barrage of accusations of climate denial; polluter; science denier; child killer; and far-right conspiracy theorist.
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